My Life
by tmonkey726
Summary: Rose has been acquitted of all charges, Lissa's sibling has been found, but there are other secrets she will have to face. Decisions will have to be made, can she live up to everyone's expectations? Suck at summaries. Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: This is my first fanfic. I hope you like it.**

**I do not own anything. Richelle Mead owns everything.**

**Prologue**

Six weeks ago I finally returned to Court and to all my friends after trying to find the person who was actually responsible for killing the Queen and framing me, and also searching for Lissa's sibling, which I realized was a sister.

Victor was caught about eight weeks ago and admitted to using compulsion on one of the Royal Guards, Guardian Kumell, to steal my steak and kill the Queen. He not only did it out of revenge for convicting him of a crime, kidnapping Lissa and torturing her, that he didn't feel he was guilty of, but he thought that getting Tatiana out of the picture would bring about change, allow Moroi to begin fighting alongside the guardians, and for some reason, he also believed it would put him back in power. He framed me for this because he wanted me out of the way so he could use Lissa to heal his body. Why he thought any of this would actually work for him is beyond me. He was sent to trial and this time they put him to death. He was executed shortly after court left out that day.

Knowing he was being sent to his death, he knew that Lissa needed to take her rightful place on the Royal Council. He admitted to everyone that Lissa had a sibling, a sister no less, and that he knew whom it was. Knowing that she would be able to start the changes he was so wanting to happen, he told us of a security box he had and that all the information we needed was in there. Shortly after the execution Lissa and I got the keys and went to the bank to get the information and begin our search. We weren't really expecting to find a birth certificate, bank documents, letters from Lissa's father, Eric, explaining what he wanted Victor to do. Eric had asked Victor to keep this entire secret until it absolutely had to come out. He also asked him to keep an eye on his daughter, and keep her and her mother comfortable in the event that anything would happen to him. He also asked that this secret be kept indefinitely or until Victor's death was coming due to his illness. He never expected Victor to be sent to death for treason.

After we got all the information we were shocked to find out that we knew this girl. She was a few years younger than us and was a friend. We set off to Detroit to inform Jill Mastrano that she was a royal and a Dragomir. We knew that we would not need all the information, her mother would know what was happening when we began our story, but we took it anyway, just to be sure. After we explained and got it all sorted out, we brought Jill and her mother back to Court and got them situated in housing and got Lissa her rightful spot on the council.

After all that we had the reading of Tatiana's will. Damon Tarus, the lawyer for the Ivashkovs, was doing the reading. Of course there were all the normal formalities, Adrian got the bulk of her estate, which meant he didn't need his fathers money anymore, and there was congratulations on Lissa getting her spot on the council. It was if Tatiana could see the future. The biggest shock was when my father, Abe Mazur was mentioned. She had actually appointed him her successor to the crown, and called him Prince Abe Mazur-Arcos. I was stunned to say the least. My father, a Royal? It was explained that he was the last of the first Royal line that had been forgotten over the years. It was stated that she wanted someone who would fight for change, fight for the rights of all Moroi and Dhampir, and would not back down from the controversy that would undoubtedly come up. She also wanted someone who would carry on the oldest Royal family, and allow him to take his rightful place in society.

There were collective murmurs among the Royals as this was read. I was just dumbfounded. There were so many questions in my head. What did this mean? I felt my fathers hand move over top of mine, and give it a little squeeze. I looked up at him and he leaned over and whispered, "I will explain it all to you soon." He knew this was coming! I just nodded and focused on the front again. Damon took an envelope out of his briefcase and said, "Prince Arcos, there is an envelope addressed to you from the Queen with instructions to read it in private along with Guardian Rosemarie Hathaway, Lord Adrian Ivashkov, Princess Vasilisa Dragomir, Lady Jill Mastrano-Dragomir, Lord Christian Ozera, and Guardian Dimitri Belikov."

Abe rose and answered, "Very well, we will meet in the room across the hall when the proceedings have concluded. Thank you." He sat down and I couldn't believe how royal he actually just sounded. I had never heard that out of him. There was shock written on everyone's face as I looked around the room.

Damon continued but I had tuned it all out. I am the child of a Royal. I wondered why my father had kept it from me. Did my mother know? Did he know? I had so many questions and I didn't know what to make of all it. And why would the private reading need to involve my friends? How would this revelation affect them?

I so did not need this right on top of everything else. There was drama with Lissa getting situated on he council, helping Jill become accustom to being a Royal, my relationships with Adrian and Dimitri, and now my father being a Royal and about to become King! What am I going to do?


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I own nothing, Richelle Mead owns everything.**

**This is probably going to be a long chapter, but I want to tell it all without splitting it up. I hope you like it.**

**Chapter 2**

**Two weeks earlier.**

Adrian and Dimitri were the main issue for me now. Dimitri had gone to Russia to spend some time with his family and try to get his head strait. He had had a lot of confusion since being back from being a Strigoi. Upon his return he sought me out and explained that he had a long way to go to forgive himself for what he had done to me when he was Strigoi, but that he could no longer deny his feelings for me. He professed his love for me, saying that he loved me more than anything or anyone and knew we were meant to be together. I knew I loved him, I always would, but I was with Adrian and loved him as well. Adrian had been with me since Dimitri had been turned. He stood by me with no expectations. He never denied his feelings for me and didn't care what anyone thought. I had found through my time with him what a wonderful man he truly was. I had fallen in love with him and I wasn't sure I could live without him. But could I live without Dimitri?

When Dimitri had confessed his feelings I immediately went to Lissa and told her. There were mixed emotions coming through the bond as I told her. Happiness, confusion, relief, sadness. She was also concerned about Adrian and where this all leaves him. She knew that I loved him, but she also knew how I felt about Dimitri.

"Where does this leave Adrian?" she asked in a small voice. I couldn't blame her for thinking I would just leave him and run to Dimitri.

I let out a small laugh. "What do you mean?" I asked as innocently as I could.

"Well, you love Dimitri more than anything, right? It's going to break Adrian's heart, but I want you to be happy. That's all that really matters here." Sometimes I wish the bond worked both ways so she could see how I was feeling.

I took her hand, and looked strait in her eyes. "I do love Dimitri. He was my first love, my first everything. But I love Adrian too. I am not sure I can live without him. I need to figure out who I want to spend the rest of my life with."

"Well, then you need to make a decision, and you need to talk to both of them." She said this as she sent loving thoughts through the bond.

"Can't you do it for me?" I said with a smile.

She smacked me on the shoulder, "No, I can't do it for you. You need to listen to your heart. I think you should put your relationship on hold until you have a sound decision. And unfortunately for you, you need to do it soon."

"I know. I'll do it today." I got up and waked to her door. I turned and looked at her, she came and gave me a hug.

"It will be okay. It will all work out. If you need me, just call. And be sure to call me as soon as you have talked to them both." She smiled.

"Thanks, I love you Liss. I will call you when I am done." With that I turned and walked back to my room.

I called Adrian and asked him to meet me. "Adrian, could you come to my room in about 30 minutes? I have something I need to talk to you about."

"Sure, should I wear anything special?" I could hear that sly smile he gets when he is trying to be seductive.

I laughed. "No, just come over. I just need to talk to you."

"Okay, I'll be there in 30."

I hung up and sighed. How was I going to do this? I went into my bathroom, washed my face, brushed my hair back into a ponytail and decided to change clothes. I changed into a pair of blue jeans and a pink tank top. I at least wanted to be comfortably dressed. I walked into the kitchen and made some tea while I waited. I put on my slippers and went to my over sized chair and plopped down. I was sipping my tea and felt Lissa trying to send me comforting feelings through the bond. _I should have made a charm for you. It may have made this easier. _I picked up my cell and sent her a text. _It's okay. I will be fine._ Suddenly there was a knock at my door. I looked at the clock, always right on time. I went over and opened the door. Adrian stood there and gazed at me. He had on dark Armani Jeans and a deep purple fitted thermal. For a Moroi he was built fairly well. His hair was perfectly messy and his eyes were a beautiful green. They sparkled. The purple shirt helped them pop.

He smiled at me, although it didn't quite touch his eyes. He knew something was wrong. He always could tell when something was bothering me. "Little Dhampir. Are you going to let me in?" I smiled back and stepped to the side. He put his hand on my hip and looked into my eyes with so much compassion. "Why so serious? I know you have lots to tell me. Lets sit." He took my hand and led me to the chair. He sat down and pulled me with him. I laid my head on his shoulder and could smell his cologne. I inhaled deeply not ever wanting to forget his sent.

"Adrian, you know I love you, right?" "Mm Hmm" was his only reply. "Well, I want to be honest with you and not keep anything from you." There was silence and I knew he wanted me to continue. "Dimitri came to see me yesterday after he got back." I felt him tense at those words, but he remained silent. "He told me he loves me and wants to be with me. He says he is sorry for everything he did." I wasn't sure what else to say at that point.

"Rose, what do _you_ want? I love you more than anything. I would do anything, give up anything for you. I know you love me. But I also know you love him too. That is a part of you. It pisses me off that he would do this, but who can blame him? You are an amazing, wonderful woman. Anyone would be lucky to have you. I want you to be happy. What do _you_ want to do?" I could tell he knew this was coming. Something in his voice gave it away. There was no accusatory tone, he was just concerned about me, and really did want to know what I wanted.

"I do love him. He has been a big part of my life, my being. But, I love you too. I don't know that I can live without you." I felt excitement radiate off of him as I said that last part. "But, I don't know if I can live without him either. I think I need some time. Time to figure out who it is I belong with. And when I decide, I plan on being with that man forever."

I looked up into his eyes and saw the hurt I had just caused. I felt horrible, but I had to do this. "Adrian, I know how much this hurts. My heart is breaking. But I have to do this. If I don't I will always wonder 'What if' and that's not fair to any of us. No matter who I say good bye to, my heart will break, but we will all know that I will be 100% committed to my decision."

Adrian was silent for a while. He held my hand and drew circles on my wrist with his thumb. Suddenly, I heard him take a breath and he opened his mouth. "Okay, Rose. My turn. I know and understand what you are saying. I will completely support you in what ever you decide. Your happiness is all that matters to me. I'd hoped it wouldn't be an issue, that you would know you love me more, but I do understand and I have complete confidence in you. I want you to be completely with me and only me. I hope I don't have to stay away while you make this decision."

I laughed at that. "Of course not. I couldn't make this decision without you being around."

He started to move and I knew he needed to get up. I jumped up, but as he stood he grabbed my hand and pulled me to him. With his lips only inches from mine, and that familiar slow burn I always got when he kissed me, he whispered, "I love you my Little Dhampir. I won't give up until you make your mind up. I will wait for you for all eternity if that is how long you need." With that he crashed his lips to mine and kissed me in a way I never thought possible. Hot, intense, wanting, needing, loving. It was all wrapped up in that one kiss. The fire slowly burned from every nerve in my body. We pulled away breathless. He gave me another, softer, more gentle kiss and looked into my eyes. "Don't forget about me, Little Dhampir." With that he walked out the door.

I put my hand, palm flat on the door. "Oh Adrian, how could I ever forget you?" I whispered.

The next thing I did was call Dimitri. "Belikov" he answered. "Dimitri, it's me Rose. I need you to stop by for a few minutes. Do you have time?" There was a pause and then he responded. "Sure, Give me ten minutes?" "Sure, I'll see you in ten then." I hung up. I had rested my head on the back of the chair while I waited. How do I get myself into these situations? I have two men that I love and that love me back. Some girls would give anything to have that problem. But now, I have to choose between them. How am I ever going to do that? Make pro's and con's list? Do like the TV shows? Date them both then offer them a rose to signify my love? No, I couldn't do either one of those things. I was brought back by a light knocking at the door.

I opened the door. "Dimitri" He looked at me and smiled. "Roza" He came in and went to the couch. He looked amazing. Black jeans, white t-shirt and of course his long brown duster. His hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck, and his eyes were fixed on me. I went to sit in my chair and noticed I could still smell Adrian. All of a sudden my phone vibrated. I looked at Dimitri apologetically. "Go ahead, get it. I have all day." He said with a slight smile.

It was a text from Lissa. _What's up? Adrian's here. Call me._ I sent a text back. _Talking with Dimitri, will call when he leaves. Sorry. _

"Okay, sorry, that was Lissa." I smiled sheepishly. "That's okay. What's up?" He knew I wanted to talk. "Well, I have decided that I need to take some time to choose between you and Adrian." I could see the jealousy rise in his eyes. "I know this wont be easy on either of you, but I love you both and in order to be fair, I need some time to decide who I spend the rest of my life with. I want to be sure I can be 100% committed to that person with no questions. I am sorry if I have hurt you, but I have to do this. For myself."

Dimitri just sat there, staring at the floor. He had his elbows on his thighs with his hands folded in the middle. He looked up at me slowly. "I do understand. I want you with me completely. I don't want to wait, but for you I will."

Great, both of them so confident I would pick them. Dimitri didn't go into as much detail as Adrian, but then, he never was one for a lot a words. "Thank you. I will try and not drag this out too long." I said as he rose and made his way to the door. I was behind him and he suddenly spun, put his hand around my waist and kissed me tenderly. Electricity shot through me. It wasn't like the slow burn I always got from Adrian. He broke the kiss, as usual, and said against my lips, "I will be waiting, my Roza." With that he walked out the door.

I leaned my back against the door and slid down to the floor. I realized I had my phone in my hand so I called Lissa. "Hello?" Lissa said. "Lissa, get over here. Now. And bring Christian but no one else." "On our way as we speak."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**AN: I own nothing, all belongs to Richelle Mead.**

**This chapter is a little short, but it's something I thought was important to put out there. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Please read and review. I would love to hear your opinions.**

The last two weeks have been long. Good, but long. I explained to Lissa and Christian about the conversations with Dimitri and Adrian. Lissa has been very supportive; she really just wants me to be happy. Christian, well, that has been different. Our relationship has changed since Dimitri came back. He has become somewhat of a brother to me. Don't get me wrong, we still go back and forth every chance we get, but he has been there for me and listens and even gives me advice from time to time. From a man's perspective, and it does help to hear it in that form.

The one thing he has been most helpful with is giving me advice when it comes to physical contact with Adrian and Dimitri. He had explained that from a man's view, too much physical contact could be bad. Kissing especially. It would make it harder on all of us, not just the jealousy factor with the guys, although that is a big part of it. But, as he explained it, it could, and probably would lead to more than I am ready to handle. It could cause them to think the decision has been made when it hasn't. The jealousy could become more due to both of them wondering who gets more time with me, and what we are doing together. And in the long run it could make my decision all the more harder. So heading this advice, I do not allow any kissing of any sort. Holding hands and wrapping our arms around each other is okay. It allows the feelings to be there, but at the same time sets some limitations to keep my heart and me safe. It also kept my emotions in check when it came to getting too close. I wanted them to understand where I stood and Christian helped me see that setting these boundaries would keep us all on the same page.

Adrian has been, well, Adrian. Still showering me in flowers and letters. He stops by to just say hi, eats lunch with me every now and then, or invites me to watch movies. I think back to all I have been through with him. He has stood by me though all I have been through, no expectations. He continues to tell me how much he loves me, even though I told him I couldn't say it back until I make my decision. He hasn't forced the issue at all, telling me to take my time. But when he holds me, I feel that slow burn start in my heart and continue to all the nerve endings down to my toes. And I find when I am alone I think about him and miss him. Not all the time, but a lot.

Then there's Dimitri. We still train together and sometimes that gets heated. I feel the electricity in our touches. A lot of our time together is spent training, running, or just walking around the Court. We talk about a lot of things, but lately it has been about his family and his trip home. I have told him about my time there, and how much in love with his family I actually fell. I miss them so much.

One day we were walking and he was telling me how when he got there everyone, even Yeva, had wondered when I was going to walk through the door. I thought back to how I hated leaving them and wondering if I had hurt them when I left. And I thought about my fight with Viktoria. I had seen her with a Moroi named Rolan, and realized that he was just using her, and was going to get her pregnant and leave her. I saw her heading down the road of becoming a blood whore and did not want that fate for her. I had Abe send one of his "guardians", I would say cronies, in after them and "convince" him to never see her again. It worked, but it also made her extremely upset with me, vowing never to forgive me. As I thought about this, I blurted out, "Yeah, everyone but Viktoria, right?" He grinned a little at that and I wondered if I was right. I had hoped she had gotten past it.

"Actually," he said, "she was the most upset when I explained you weren't coming. Vika had explained to me what happened with you two. She told me about Rolan and what you did. At first she was pissed. But after you left she had time to think and realized how right you were and what kind of trouble she was headed for. She's grown a lot since you left and a lot of it has come from knowing you. She even wants to be a guardian when she graduates, thanks to you."

All that surprised me. I figured she would hate me forever after all I caused. I was glad she had forgiven me. I wonder what will happen when I make my decision. But I looked at him and smiled. "I am glad she decided to forgive me for that. I was just so scared for her and didn't know what else to do. I really do miss them."

Just like with Adrian there was no pressure, just us hanging out. Granted, it was a little awkward, but how could it not be? I mean no matter if I was with Dimitri or Adrian at the time, I was with someone I loved. And that ever important decision was looming over our heads at all times. But the time together helped. I was getting closer to a decision every day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**AN: here we are again. I own nothing, Richelle Mead owns it all.**

**Thank you for reading this. I hope everyone likes it. Please review.**

So, here we are, back at the reading of Tatiana's will. I had no clue what was really going on. I was still stuck on my father being a Royal. I wondered who all knew. Did my mother know? What about Adrian? His family was the biggest of the Royal lines, not to mention one of the most powerful and one of the oldest. Was it common knowledge to some and not to others? Why had my father given up his birth rite? Tatiana had been ruling for a very long time, how long had she known, and surely if she'd known long, she wouldn't have had such a problem with Adrian and I dating, would she? I just really needed Abe to explain this. I was starting to get a headache.

The reading had finished and I snapped back to the present with a tight squeeze of my father's hand. Damon announced that the reading was done and the aforementioned group was to meet in the room across the hall. Everyone rose and after the Royal Council left, everyone began talking and moving around the room. No doubt the main topic was Abe Mazur, Arcos, being Royal and being named successor. Moroi were suckers for gossip.

I made my way to the hallway to wait for the others. Christian and Jill were already there. Jill was the first to speak. "Hey Rose. Did you know anything about your dad being a Royal? Does that make you Royal too? What does this have to do with all of us?" She finally stopped. She still babbled on and on when she was nervous.

I laughed as I answered. "No, I didn't know. As for the rest, well, we will have to wait and see."

Christian walked over to me and put an arm around my shoulders. "So, Princess Hathaway. Do I bow or curtsy?"

"Ha Ha Fire Boy. You are _so_ funny!" I said dripping with sarcasm.

Then he leaned down and whispered, "No, really, how are you _really_ doing, Hathaway?" He was genuinely concerned about me. So much had happened today, and on top of everything else I had to deal with, I was two steps from slipping off the side of a cliff.

"I'm okay. Lot's to think about. Thanks for caring Fire boy." I cracked a smile. I needed a little laugh right now. He laughed along with me.

We heard the doors behind us open and saw Lissa and Dimitri approaching. Christian still had his arm around me. "Now Rose, you're not making a play for my man now are you? Don't you have enough on your plate?" Lissa said with a smile and a hearty laugh.

"Yeah, Liss, that's just what I need. More fire in my life." At that point, Lissa and Jill were both laughing hysterically, but Dimitri failed to see the humor in it.

I wondered what was taking Abe and Adrian so long. Then I turned and saw them walking out of the room with their heads together. _Man, _I thought,_ what are they up to now?_ I walked over and grabbed Abe's arm and said, "Okay, old man, start explaining what just happened in there."

Abe looked surprised that I would take such action, then he thought about it and smiled. "Come one everyone, you all deserve to know, and I intend to explain. Let's go into the office and have a seat and I will tell you all. We can order some food, Janine and Tasha are also on their way, since this does involve them as well."

That surprised me. "Does Mom know?"

"No sweetie, she doesn't." He said.

"Oh, man, she is going to _kill_ you. Are you sure you want to do this in front of all of us?"

"It's better to tell her in front of an audience instead of alone. That way she is less likely to kill me. Maybe harm, but not kill." He said this with a little apprehension.

We walked into the office. I would have called it a conference room. There was a large cherry oak table in the center of the room that was surrounded by about fifteen black leather chairs. The walls were a beautiful oak finish with no flashy pictures, just a simple wall clock. Abe called for a guardian and instructed them to bring in some drinks and some food. Janine and Tasha would be here in about ten minutes.

We all sat in the chairs, lounging, well almost all of us. At first Dimitri stood at the wall with the rest of the guardians, then my father spoke up. "Dimitri, you are a guest at this meeting, you do not need to stand there like a fixture. Please take a seat."

"Thank you, Prince, uh, Mazur-Arcos?" was all he said.

"No need with formalities son. I am just Abe to you." He looked around the rest of the room. "That goes for all of you."

Just then the doors at the back opened and my mom and Tasha Ozera walked into the room. Thank God she was just fifteen seconds late to hear Dimitri's response. She would have set off then. "What's this all about Abe? I have guardian duties to attend to. What gives you the right to pull me away?" Mom was not happy.

"Janine, dear, if you would have a seat I have some things to tell you. Some very important things that not only affects me, but our daughter as well. Ah, the food is here, would you like some refreshments before we begin?" Was Abe Mazur, big, bad "mob boss" trying to stall? I looked over at Lissa and could tell she was thinking the same thing. We both cracked smiles at each other.

Tasha took a seat next to Christian, and my mother came to sit next to me. "I'll take whatever Rose is having." She turned to me, "What is going on? I heard there was some big, surprising news that was revealed during the reading of Tatiana's will, but what is this all about?"

"Mom, just promise me, no matter what it is, that you will stay calm in front of my friends?" I begged her.

"Rose, you know something, and you are starting to worry me. Are you pregnant?"

"WHAT? NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT." I shouted. Everyone turned to look at us. "This is Dad's deal, just sit back, eat your _refreshments_ and listen. Okay?"

Dad stood up and cleared his throat. "Could I have all the guardians please leave the room? It is time for the private reading of the will at the request of the Queen." The guardians bowed and left.

Mom was just staring, eyes as big as golf balls, and chin resting on the table. "What is going on? Since when does _he_ hold that kind of power to clear a room of guardians?"

I laughed. "Mom, blink, close your mouth and just listen. Maybe you'll learn something."

"Okay. I need to go over some of the original will seeing as Guardian Hathaway was not present at the first reading. Janine, Tatiana has named me her successor to the throne." Abe said this with a kind of apprehension in his voice. Like he didn't want to say anything.

"WHAT? HOW? WHY? Oh my God, I think I am going to faint. Can I have some water?" I think I had just witnessed my mother starting to have a nervous breakdown.

Lissa got up and brought her some water and then sat back down. All the while she was trying to stifle her laughter at my mothers uncharacteristic outburst.

"Anyway, yes Janine, I am to be King of the Moroi. How you ask? Well, my family is the direct descendants of the oldest Royal line, the Arcos family. My legal name is Ibrahim Mazur Arcos. I dropped the Arcos after I graduated from the Academy in Turkey. Mazur was my mothers name so I kept that. Everyone at my Academy used to pretty much worship the ground I walked on because of my lineage and I hated it. I decided then that I didn't want to be known as Arcos anymore. The Royals looked down on non-royals, and I thought that was such a disgrace. It wasn't right. When I told my parents that I wanted nothing to do with the Royal lineage, my father disowned me. While I was in school I took some combat classes in my spare time, and became quite strong. After my father disowned me, I went out into the world. I found that even though I had dropped the last name, people still knew where I came from. Tatiana had just begun her reign as queen and summoned me to Court. She was the last Ivashkov to know who I truly was. I became kind of a 'thug' of sorts. I worked with people who wished not to be named, and did things that had to be kept secret. Sometimes I worked directly for Royals, sometimes I worked for non-royals. I made a name for myself as someone to be feared, as well as respected. I always had support from the Royal Council, well, Tatiana, and she kept me out of trouble if my workings ever came to light. As I began to become more powerful, I was able to out grow my lineage. But of course, Tatiana never forgot. But I never told a sole. Not even you, Janine. I loved you and I didn't want my lineage to scare you away, or alienate you from me. I wanted our daughter to have the same opportunities everyone else like her had. I didn't want her to become like the Royals I grew up with. And I was also afraid she would be crucified being a Dhampir with a Royal father, which in turn, yes, Rose, you are a Royal. I am proud of how you turned out, and I don't regret keeping you out of the headache it could have caused. But now I see that it could be a problem again. Acceptance will be hard to get once this gets out. However, I am hoping that becoming King will change some of the ways of our world. That is why I accepted this offer from Her Majesty to become the next King. I WILL make sure change happens. Moroi and Dhampir will be strong and powerful, together, as we once were."

I sat in awe of my father. He explained it all without so much as one stutter. If you didn't know him, you would think he had rehearsed this little speech. He even kept my mother from interrupting and causing a scene. Now she just sat there at a loss for words.

Dad bent over and picked up the envelope with all our names on it. "It is time to see what Queen Tatiana has to tell us all. Janine and Tasha, I know you are not on the list to be here, but I have a feeling you should be involved in whatever this envelope contains. If you would like to leave, I understand, but you are more than welcome to stay."

"I'll stay." My mom said, but it almost came out as a whisper. "As will I" said Tasha

"Very well, lets begin."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**AN: I do not own any of the characters o**

**r plots other than the ones I have added, Richelle Mead owns all VA**

**This chapter will start right off with the letters from Queen Tatiana. I had some writers block while doing this chapter, so I hope you like it. I am sorry if it is boring, it is pretty much just an informational chapter showing what the queen thought and how she actually felt about everyone. And again, i hope you like it. then next chapter will be about the sophomore law then back to the ramance and drama. Remember, please read and review. Thank you for reading.**

_The letters from the Queen. Read aloud by Abe.  
_

"First off, let me just say this, I know what a shock it must be for all of you to find out about Prince Mazur-Arcos. It really was the only way to keep his daughter safe from not only our enemies, but others wishing to take advantage of the Arcos family and fortune. There are those out there that wish to bring harm to the Royal lines of our race and especially when there are so few left of a specific line, as we well know from the experiences with the Dragomir line. Now, to begin, I will start with Ibrahim.

Prince Ibrahim Mazur-Arcos:

You, my friend, are one of a kind, literally. God broke the mold with you. You are fiercely passionate, dedicated to those you love, and protective when it comes to those people. You left the Royals to be your own man, but always kept you hand in the mix of things. When we were in school together you were compassionate to all those around you, and fierce with the ones who disrespected anything or anyone you held dear. You were dedicated, loyal, and loving, as well as quick tempered, outspoken, and always followed your own set of rules. I think I know someone else who is a lot like you."

I smiled at that. She was obviously talking about me. I saw my father look up at me and smile as he read that. I was surprised though, that they knew each other when they were younger, but then again, thinking over past conversations, she had mentioned him with some sort of emotion, but at the time I didn't know who she was referring to.

"At one time you were the one who held my heart. I was very much in love in with you and would have given anything to have you by my side. You and I were matched from the start given our bloodlines, but we also fell in love. When you decided to denounce your title and go out on your own, I was heart broken."

OH. MY. GOD. I new there was something between them, but I never would have guessed they were in love. I wondered what my mother was thinking. I looked over at her and she just had a sweet smile on her face. She knew. But she had a look on her face as she gazed at my dad, one that I had never seen cross her features before.

"But I always thought you would one day return to me. It broke my heart to hear that you had found love with someone else, but I was happy for you. I knew she had to be something for you to fall in love with her. When I found out she was a Dhampir, the surprise was more than you can imagine. But as long as you were happy, that was all that mattered to me. The love I saw between the two of you was undeniable, and even though a relationship of that type was looked down upon, you still stood by her, even having a child. I admit, I was somewhat jealous. But I was happy for you. At the time I did not understand why you would keep your love in the dark about your lineage, but after we talked and I realized what you did for a living, and how much harm could come to her and your beautiful baby, I knew that secret had to be kept. I know how hard it was for you to leave them when you did, but it was something that, I agreed with you, had to be done. As such, I was also able to move on find love with a man that loved me just as much. Moroi laws however kept us from going public, and forced him to give up his guardian status to be with me."

There was a collective gasp going around the room as this was read. Lissa, Adrian and I knew about Ambrose, so it was no shock to us.

"He was not permitted to live his own life while still protecting the Moroi race. I have never believed that this was fair, but I was not strong enough to stand up to those who thought this was a way of life. It is time for change. Dhampir and Moroi should be equal and treated as such. I am afraid that if the current way of life is allowed to continue we as Moroi will have our Dhampir counterparts resenting us for having a life that is not permitted to them. If we can stand up and instill change, and bring back the convictions of Dhampir and Moroi standing together against our enemies, we will all prosper. You all will play major roles in this change. You, along with the help of Lady Tasha Ozera and her group will be able to fight for this and make it a reality. Ibrahim, you are the one who can stand up to the opposition, and make them see that this current way of living is not going to help us. I have all the faith in you as King and only wish I could be there to see this change take place."

There was so much to take in in that letter. What more could there be to say?

My father noticed that everyone was looking around and feeling a bit uncomfortable hearing things that were obviously so personal to certain people. He cleared his throat. "Shall we continue?" He looked at me and I nodded. All attention was on him again.

"Okay, this one is addressed to Rose. Princess Rosemarie Hathaway:

" I know you are probably wrinkling your nose at that, but my dear, get used to it, it is your title. You are an amazing woman. I have always liked you, even when I acted differently. I hope you understand now why I acted that way. I had to protect you, and I had to act as though I didn't like you because of the ways of my people. I know it was wrong, but like I said, I was not strong enough to stand up to those around me. Ibrahim did not want this coming out until absolutely necessary. Having a Dhampir, and one such as you, on the council will become a topic of discussion for years to come, I am sure. But you are no stranger to being a topic of discussion."

There was a laugh throughout the room at that part. Great, just more gossip about me. Oh well, I know I can handle it.

"But, you are needed, with your experience in the world and fighting along side some Moroi, your insight into Moroi-Dhampir battle will be invaluable. There was a reason I passed the sophomore law, but I will get to that later. I hope you take your rightful position as your fathers quorum and help instill change. I know that protecting Princess Dragomir is at the top of your priorities, and I know you will find balance. Even in death, I have complete faith in you. As for you and my great-nephew, Adrian. If you choose to be with him, please know that I believe he will be a very lucky man, as you will be a very lucky woman. He loves you, and now he has the freedom from his father to support you on his own. That I will address with Adrian. However, I also know about your tie to a certain guardian. You have a choice to make and in the process someone's heart is going to be broken. I hope the decision will be an easy one for you, but I know it can be hard. Take your time and be sure of yourself. Please be happy and choose wisely. Once the decision is made you cannot take it back. In my heart, I am obviously pulling for Adrian, but I am biased when it comes to him. If you choose otherwise, be happy and prosperous. You are destined for greatness."

Great, I thought, now I have the Queen putting her two cents in, even in her death. Well, at least I know she liked me.

Dad took out the next letter and opened it.

"Princess Vasilisa Dragomir:

"You along with the presence of Princess Rosemarie and Lord Ozera are also destined to great things. I can feel it whenever you are in my presence. You now have your sister, and I tell you the truth now, that is all I know about her, and I hope you take your place on the council and stand up for change. Treat your sister well, and teach her all there is to know about being a good and worthy Royal. Keep working your spirit and learn from it. I am sure it is not easy having such a rare specialty, so I have arranged to have a visitor arrive soon to help you and Adrian. They are old family friends, and they will be able to give you a lot of invaluable lessons. Word is to be sent to them as soon as this reading is complete. They will be here shortly."

I glanced over at her and Adrian. Adrian was just sitting there with an unusually thoughtful look, and Lissa looked at me with a questioning glance. I just shrugged my shoulders; I had no clue what was going on.

"Lord Christian Ozera:

"At such a young age you suffered a tragedy greater than any one person should have to endure. Your parents chose a path that has placed a large burden on you. You have lived with the scrutiny and controversy this caused all your days. Because of this, I had to be sure you were worthy of the Princess. You have proven your worth. You have risen above the controversy surrounding your life. You have studied and fought hard. You have loved irrevocably and completely. Vasilisa and you are well matched and well deserving of each other. Stay strong and support each other in all your endeavors. You too are destined for great power. You have a lot to teach others."

Teach? I wondered if she knew about his "underground" teaching of wielding magic and fighting? Sounds like she did.

"Guardian Dimitri Belikov:

"You are truly a miracle. You went into battle and was turned, lived for months as one of our enemies, then by means we still don't fully understand, was returned to the Dhampir race. I will not pretend to know the hell you go through every day with the memories of your time with the Strigoi. I can only imagine they are torturous. But remember, you were being controlled by foreign blood. You need to forgive yourself. Time will heal your wounds. You may never fully forget, but you deserve forgiveness. Allow it. There is a place for you in the world and I have seen the love you get from your friends and the love you return to them as well. You are one of the best guardians we have, and I have no doubt you will be headed to great things with the new way of our world. I know I speak for all of us when I say we are all beyond happy that you are back. Oh, and no matter what happens with your little triangle, I wish you luck, and ask you take it easy on my Adrian."

Dimitri had a small smile on his face after that. He had his hands folded and head down like he was in deep thought. But I knew he was just trying to keep his mask on, and it was hard for him. It was a sweet moment for him though.

"To the new Lady Dragomir:

"I do not know your actual name, so please forgive me for using your fathers name. You are entering a whole new life. I hope you have every comfort you need here. I have arranged for a private tutor for you so you are able to stay close to Vasilisa and your mother. Learn well from Rosemarie and your sister. They are the epitome of what Royals should be. Kind, loving and strong. Support each other and love each other and we will be a strong race, Moroi-Dhampir, once again.

"Now, last, but certainly not least. Lord Adrian Ivashkov:

"You, my nephew, are my heart. You have the essence to be a truly great warrior and the compassion and convictions to be a great leader. You march to the beat of your own drum not worrying about what others think. This can be a source of great power. Your father has always looked down on you because you did not conform to the ways and thinking of traditional Moroi and because you are a free spirit. I have given you the freedom to go your own way and live your life out from under the scrutiny of your father. Use it wisely. Be careful and watch for those trying to take advantage of you. You have a kind and gentle heart, and there are those who would wish to bring you down. Carve your own path, but be careful in the process. I hope when my associate arrives they will help you and Vasilisa hone and expand your skills with spirit. As for you and Princess Rosemarie, you loved her before you knew she was Royal. That shows me how much you love her and what you were willing to give up to be with the person you love. I never thought it possible that Adrian Ivashkov would one day be willing to give his heart with the chance of getting it broken. I am pulling for you nephew; however, if your heart gets broken, know this. You will survive, and you will heal. You will find someone who will worship you just as you worship her. Don't hold back. I should know. I loved greatly and lost. But in time my heart healed and I found love again with a wonderful man. You have never been afraid of the way your relationship was perceived, so I know you will be fine. If the princess does choose you, know with all your heart you have my blessing and I will be watching over you. I am so proud of the man you are becoming. Good luck in all you do."

Adrian sat there with that smirk he gets sometimes. Still cool and collected, but I could see he was touched. I was touched. I couldn't believe what an emotional softy the Queen was turning out to be.

Abe looked us all over and cleared his throat. "Now, with that being finished, there is one more topic she wanted to address with us. It is the new Sophomore Law. Would you like to continue right in to it, or would you like to take, say, a fifteen minute break?"

Jill stood and said, "I think I would like a break. I would like to let this sink in some, stretch and use the restroom, if that is okay." She sat down slowly with an embarrassed smile on her face.

Abe took a breath and said, "Very well. Let's meet back here in fifteen minutes. We will begin the discussion on the sophomore law then."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Here is the chapter concerning the sophomore law. It is my take on what it is about and what the other proposed laws were. I hope you like it. Thank you again for reading, and remember to review when you are done. **

**I don't own anything VA except the plot and any characters I invent for the story, Richelle Mead owns it all.**

Everyone got up to move around. They all went into the hall to stretch, walk around, talk amongst themselves, or use the restrooms. I decided to stay in the office alone for a few minutes. I walked over to one of the tinted, ceiling to floor windows and looked out at the surrounding area. It was quite beautiful, even through the tinted windows. The flowers in the garden below were in full bloom, along with the trees full of leaves, and there were birds flying and squirrels scurrying around. All of a sudden I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and saw Lissa standing next to me looking out too. "So, what do you think that was all about?" She asked thoughtfully.

"I honestly don't know, Liss. I never took the queen as being someone who had actual feelings and a heart. It sounds like she was playing a part in front of all the other Royals. And man, was she convincing. Hey, do you think she could see the future?" I had been wondering this when she mentioned my choice, along with how sure she was this change would happen.

"Maybe, I mean Ambrose was her love, and his aunt Rhonda is psychic or something. Maybe she got it all from her. I am sure she had readings all the time. As for her heart?" She laughed, "Apparently she did, and apparently his name is Adrian." We both laughed at that.

I thought about that, Lissa was right, Adrian was the queen's heart. She loved him so much, she believed in him, almost like he was her own son. She sure treated him like he was. But she also clearly had a soft spot for Dimitri. She actually had a soft spot for all of us. We just didn't know until it was too late.

My thoughts were interrupted by my father. "Rose, if you need to use the restroom or anything, I think you should go do it. We will be back in here in about five minutes."

"Okay, old man." I said as I walked past him and nudged my shoulder in his chest.

On my way to the restroom I saw Dimitri, Tasha, and my mom in the corner deep in conversation. Dimitri looked up and smiled at me. I smiled back and continued into the restroom. After washing my hands and face, I turned around and walked back out. I saw Adrian, Lissa, Christian, and Jill on the other side of the hall laughing. Adrian looked up and gave me a little wave. I laughed and waved back, thinking how funny it was that Adrian and Dimitri tried so hard to ignore me when they were both in the same room as me. It was kind of cute actually. I headed back into the office and noticed everyone following my lead, almost like I had personally asked them all to follow. So, this is how it begins, I thought to myself.

We all took our seats and Abe stood. "Okay, now it is time to address the issue of the sophomores, the queens reasoning behind passing it, and trying to figure out a way to change it. Let's proceed."

He opened an envelope and took out a stack of documents. Abe cleared his throat and began. "I know this group in particular does not agree with the new law, which makes you, along with Lady Ozera's group, the one's to fight for the change. I will try my best to explain why I allowed this to pass. After the attacks on Royal families, the attack on St. Vladamir's Academy, and realizing that Strigoi were now banding together and using humans to help, there were a lot of panicked Royals and non-royals alike. Numbers and safety of the Moroi was brought to the forefront. There were many ideas brought forth, and in my opinion, none of them were acceptable. I will give you a few examples. One was training the Dhampir's constantly in school. Dispensing with academic classes after 8th grade and only doing combat training, but doing it eight hours a day, five to six days a week. Still graduating them at sophomore levels. This would take away from the academic aspect, and whether they like it or not, it is imperative to learn, plus they never mentioned discipline, just combat. Rosemarie has proven it can be done, but you have to have discipline as well. She would not have been successful without it. Another was assigning one guardian to two Moroi Royals. That is too much for one to handle and would cause that guardian to be on watch 24/7 with no break. Resulting in substandard guarding. Another was to force all Dhampir's, male and female, father or mother or grandmother, to become guardians and serve until death. This would, in my mind, hurt the Dhampir race in growing, less Dhampir's bearing children, resulting in no more future guards, and again substandard guarding. These forced individuals would resent the Moroi and maybe not care to save them, resulting in more and more death to both races.

The only solution at the time was to agree to graduate sophomores. It still gave them the needed academics, and continued combat training. When they spoke to Rose, they failed to see that she was special. She was driven by a purpose in all her hunting. She was protecting those she loved. Not all guardians would have that drive. It would be a duty for them, and not out of love. But, if I chose to not pass this law, they would have gone on to pass another law that more of the council was for, and they wouldn't have needed my vote to sway it a certain way. Now, I am not going to tell you how to go about changing this law, but I do know the vote is not legal. Find out why and the law can be overturned. But you must have a new plan in place to offer. They need to be assured they will be protected. Remember what I said to you all individually. You all have a purpose. A part of this new Moroi-Dhampir order lies in each of your strengths. Yes, you are all friends, but I called you specifically together for a reason. I know you will figure it out. Work together and rely on your strengths and those of your friends. We will triumph. Now, go and live. Things are bound to get tough for all of you. Good luck."

That certainly explained a lot. But like Rhonda's tarot card readings, the end just raised more questions. What are we supposed to do? First we needed to figure out how the vote was illegal. Then we needed to come up with a better solution so graduation can go back to the seniors. And in the process of the Moroi to work with the Dhampir's and see us as equals. That, in my mind, was the key to it all. But how do you convince the Moroi race that decades of traditional Moroi values and beliefs were wrong?


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Again, I don't own anything except for the plot and any characters I invent, Richelle Mead owns everything.**

**Thank you for reading my story and leaving reviews. It does help with me continuing. Hope you enjoy!**

We all got up and walked around the room. Abe had one last thing to say. "I say we take a few days to gather our thoughts and relax some. Tend to some of the other issues you may have and have some fun, and then we should meet and start strategics. Agreed?"

We all looked around to one another and nodded our heads in agreement. "Okay then, I will contact each of you with the details of our next meeting. Take these days to enjoy life. Don't worry about this stuff." Abe said as he walked out. I could see now he was a born leader.

We made our way to the hall. Christian was the first to break the silence. "Okay, we've been in there a few hours. I'm starving, and I know that if _I'm_ hungry, we all know Princess over there is famished." He nodded to me as he finished with a large grin on his face. Probably proud of himself getting to be the first of my friends to call me princess.

"Very funny, Fire Boy. But I am hungry. Lets go to the diner and get some lunch. Lets call Eddie and Mia on the way and have them meet us. They could be of some use in all of this." I said.

"That sounds good and all, but didn't Abe say we were supposed to have some fun? I say we have a party to celebrate our newest Royal addition." Adrian said with that sly grin he gets when he is up to something.

I saw right through it. "Adrian, as good as that sounds, I don't know if getting drunk is a good idea at the moment." He knew Dimitri wouldn't go, so he thought he would have the chance to get extra close to me while my guard was down from drinking.

"Okay, okay. But we are going to have _some_ fun in the next couple of days. We all deserve it." He said back, disappointed that I saw through his plan.

I took out my phone and called Mia. I knew Eddie would be with her. I told her to meet us at the diner in fifteen minutes.

We set out across Court when Christian and Adrian said they needed to go to the feeders. Lissa had fed early this morning so she was ok. Jill had to go home and see her mom, so we all parted ways, and Lissa, Dimitri, and I made our way towards the diner.

"So, what are we doing tonight? Want to come over and watch a movie?" Lissa asked excitedly. It was only lunchtime so I wasn't sure what was going on tonight.

"Um…well," I was cut off by Dimitri.

"Actually I was hoping, Rose, you would have dinner with me tonight. I have to work tomorrow 11-11 and thought we could spend the evening together tonight. What do you say?"

I looked at Lissa and through the bond I heard her say, _Go ahead, I don't mind. We can get together tomorrow afternoon, and we have this afternoon too._ I looked at Dimitri and said, "Sure, that sounds good. What time do you want to go?"

I'll pick you up at seven if that's okay? I have to go speak to Hans about some things, seven okay?" He asked.

"Seven is good. I'll be ready." I said. He turned to Lissa and did this half bow thing and said "Lissa" she nodded back and said, "Dimitri" He walked away.

After he was out of hearing range she asked, "So Rose, how is that decision thing coming along? Any closer?"

I kicked at some stones that we were walking through. "I think I am. But there are still things I need to figure out. I'm hoping it won't be much longer."

I was getting closer. I just still didn't know who it was I couldn't live without. I loved them both. Man, I really hate this!

We walked in to the diner and saw Eddie and Mia sitting in the corner booth we usually get. We went to join them. "Adrian and Christian needed to go to the feeders but will be here soon." I told them as we sat down.

"That's cool. Where's Dimitri?" Eddie asked.

"He had to go speak to Hans about something." I told them.

Just then Adrian and Christian came strolling through the door laughing. Adrian came and sat next to me, putting his arm around my shoulders. "Hey my beautiful Princess Little Dhampir."

"Okay, time to cut that out. I may be Royal now, but I am _not_ going to have everyone referring to me as _Princess._" I said. Eddie and Mia had very strange expressions on their faces. Oops, I forgot they weren't there for the big reveal.

"Princess? Royal? What's going on? When did this happen? _How_ did this happen? Wait, this is a joke right? Rose isn't a Princess. _Is_ she?" Eddie was _all_ confused.

"Well, I guess and explanation is in order. This is part of the reason we asked you here." I tried to explain. We explained everything, taking breaks to order our food and then to eat. After about an hour we had finished the cliffs notes version of the morning's proceedings. Eddie and Mia were speechless.

Eddie was the first to speak. "So, our Rose is a true blooded Royal. Well, one things for sure, the Royals are in for quite a surprise with her on the council." He said with a smile.

"Yeah, well, I don't want to talk about that anymore. I want to enjoy the next few days." I said with a sigh.

"Little Dhampir, would you like to do something with me tonight?" Adrian asked.

" I can't tonight, Adrian. I already have plans. What about tomorrow night?" I hope I didn't hurt his feelings too much.

"Sure. What would you like to do? I was thinking maybe we could go dancing. Tomorrow is Friday night and they have good music and lots of people to mingle with. And I can even dance. Haven't done it in a while, but I am sure it's like riding a bike. You never forget. Hey, Christian, Lissa, Eddie, and Mia could come too. It will be fun." He sounded excited about it, and I had to admit, it had been a long time for me to go dancing too and it sounded like a blast. I was surprised he invited everyone, I figured he would go with the one on one thing, but this would be much more fun than just the two of us going to a club. Plus they all knew the situation and they have never showed any favoritism towards either one of them, although I knew my friends had already decided who they wanted me to pick. It was pretty evenly divided between the two men.

Adrian looked disappointed about tonight, but I thought his plan for tomorrow sounded great. "That sounds great Adrian. What do you think guys?" I said looking at the others.

They all looked at each other and nodded in agreement. Lissa took the role to speak for everyone. "Definitely. Sounds like fun. We will decide tomorrow what time to meet up. Not like we won't be together. We've all got tomorrow off thanks to Abe. It'll be good to get out. It's been a long time."

I was excited about going dancing tomorrow night, but I was also excited to go to diner with Dimitri tonight. "Hey Liss, why don't you, me and Mia go up to my room and pick out an outfit for dinner tonight?"

I felt Adrian stiffen as I said that. I felt bad. I didn't mean to upset him. I touched his leg to let him know I was sorry. I hated hurting him.

"Sounds good Rose. Mia, you coming?" Lissa asked.

Mia looked at Eddie. "Go ahead, Mia. Have your girl time. I will be fine hanging out with the guys. I don't get to very often. I'll see you at your house later on, okay?" Eddie doesn't get a whole lot of time to spend with Mia, so they try to spend as much time together as possible. They are usually joined at the hip.

"Sure, lets go girls. Clothes, hair, makeup, shoes, girl talk. Sounds like fun." Mia said hopping up from the table.

We paid the bill and headed towards the door. Everyone headed out and Adrian grabbed my arm. "Rose, can I talk to you privately for a minute?"

I got Lissa's attention and threw her my keys. "Liss, you and Mia head to my room. I will be there in a few, okay?" She nodded and kissed Christian and Mia kissed Eddie and they walked off towards my room. Man, I missed being kissed.

I turned around to face him and using my most bubbly voice asked, "What's up Adrian?"

"Rose," I _hate_ it when he uses Rose; usually means something serious was about to be brought up. "I'm sorry for tensing up when you mentioned dinner, I shouldn't have done that. I know you are struggling with this decision and having a rough time and I don't want to make it harder on you. Don't get me wrong, I am overflowing with jealousy about your date tonight, but I will keep myself cool and calm with thoughts of dancing with you tomorrow night." He kissed me gently on the forehead then giggled. "Sorry about that, I just couldn't help myself. Now go, spend some girl time with your friends and go get gorgeous for your dinner date with _him_. Remember I love you my Little Dhampir Princess." He ran off before I could respond. He can be so annoying sometimes. But sweet. What am I ever going to do?

I ran back to my room, fully expecting my entire closet lying out on my bed. What I found was something else entirely. Lissa and Mia were both sitting on my bed. Lissa had an ivory envelope in her hands, and Mia had a rose and a white envelope in hers.

I shut the door and just stood there. "Looks like both your guys had the same idea after we left the meeting." Lissa said as she flipped the envelope in her hands.

I held out my hand and she handed it to me. I opened it up and saw that is was from Dimitri.

_My dearest Roza,_

_I would like to take you to dinner down by the lake tonight. Just thought I would let you know so you don't get all dressed up and the have to sit on the ground. See you at seven._

_All my Love_

_Dimitri_

I put it back and held my hand out to Mia. She handed me the rose, it was long stemmed and a deep, deep burgundy color. It smelled wonderful. I could tell it had been taped to the door. I opened the envelope and, of course, it was a note from Adrian.

_Little Dhampir,_

_Nothing important, just wanted to tell you I miss you and I am thinking of you, my princess. See you soon._

_Love Always,_

_Adrian_

I put the note back, took the one from Lissa and set them both on my desk. Still holding the rose to my nose and inhaling it's fragrance, I looked at my two friends. "Why do they both have to be so wonderful? This is _so_ not easy. How did I get myself into this? And more importantly, how do I get myself out of it?" I threw myself rather dramatically onto the bed.

"I hate to say it Rose, but I don't think we have any answers. But I hope, for your sake, you decide soon, or you're going to go nuts!" Mia was trying to be supportive.

"**Ugh**!" I said as I went to my closet. "What am I going to wear tonight?


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**AN: Everything belongs to Richelle Mead, of course except for my story, and characters I invent for story purposes. **

**Hope you all like this. Thank you for the reviews. Don't forget to let me know what you think. Thank you again. Much love to you all.**

Court was in that transition stage between spring and summer, so it got hot in the day, but cooled down considerably at night. Since we ran on a nocturnal schedule, we would be going to dinner just around sunrise.

As Lissa, Mia and I went through my closet, I began wondering what Dimitri had planned. I knew he had today off and other than the note, I hadn't heard from him. That was unusual. It was almost five and I needed to take a shower and get ready. The girls said they would stay and help. Mia wanted to do my hair and Lissa wanted to do my makeup. I got into the shower and felt some of the tension melt away as the hot water messaged my muscles. I used my lavender bath gel and shampoo and conditioner. It had a wonderful and relaxing aroma. I so needed to relax. I got out, wrapped my hair in a towel and wrapped another one around my body. When I walked out I saw that my room had been turned into a mini boutique. My clothes were on the bed, and Mia had brought a bar stool in for me to sit in while she worked on my hair and Lissa did my makeup.

"We decided that tonight you should go soft and sensual, and tomorrow, sultry and dramatic." Mia said as she was combing my hair, we had an hour and a half to transform me.

By 6:45 the transformation was finally complete. My hair hung in long soft waves with a few defined curls here and there. My makeup was soft and flawless and beautiful. My outfit looked good. I wore my light blue jeans, a black v-neck with quarter length sleeves that had a shiny pink butterfly covering the left side of the shirt. And just to make it all a little more rugged, I opted for my black leather combat boots. I checked myself out in the mirror and had to admit, I looked good.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. I opened it and before me stood a definite Russian God. He was not making this easy on me. His hair was pulled back neatly at the nape of his neck, and of course he had on his signature duster. What was underneath was breathtaking. He had on fitted black jeans, a dark green button up shirt, unbuttoned to about mid chest, and what appeared to be a "wife-beater" under it. Absolutely breathtaking.

"Princess" He bowed as he said this. I heard soft giggles from the girls standing behind me. "Girls" He said to them as he dipped his head towards them.

I turned to look at my friends and raised my eyebrows. "We're leaving now. Make yourselves at home if you wish, and don't wait up!" I said in a singsong voice. I smiled to them and turned back to Dimitri and walked down the hall hand in hand.

"So, Comrade, where are we headed?" I said, just being my usual snarky self.

He laughed, and said, "You already know that Roza, but I still have a few surprises in store for you." As he said this he pulled out a blue scarf.

"You are not going to blindfold me, are you?" I asked him nervously.

"Yes I am actually. I want you to be surprised." Dimitri said as he tied it on.

My sense of smell took over. I could smell his cologne. I could smell the flowers around me, the smell of the water as we approached the lake. I could smell the faint sent of vanilla as we began to slow down. "Now, stand right here, and I will be right back to get you." He purred my ear.

"Dimitri, don't leave me standing here alone and blind." I said.

"Don't move. It will only take a second."

About a minute later he was back, hand on my shoulders and turning me to face him. He removed the blindfold and just looked at me. As I was looking into his eyes I could see a faint glow in them. Something was shining behind me. He slowly turned me around and what I saw was breathtaking.

It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. He had completely transformed the beach into a romantic getaway. There was a blanket spread out with a picnic basket, two candlesticks with tall white, lit candles in the center. There were pieces of driftwood set all around with lit candles everywhere, giving off a soft glow. There were rose petals scattered around the blanket and the flowers all around in bloom gave it a beautiful feel and made it even more romantic. I took a deep breath and started walking towards the blanket slowly, still holding his hand.

"You like it?" He asked softly.

"Yes. It's beautiful. More than I could have ever imagines. Thank you." I said.

We went over to the blanket and sat down. He opened the basket and pulled out fried chicken, some fresh fruit, and chocolate brownies with a thick, rich looking frosting. There were also two champagne glasses and a bottle of sparkling cider. I laughed at our menu. "Well, you have some of my favorite foods here. You thought of everything." I smiled.

"Anything for you, my Roza"

We ate in silence, both of us content in the sights and sounds around us. When we were finished and had cleaned everything up he took my hand and put it on his heart. "Lets talk." He said.

"After the reading this morning I did a lot of thinking. I thought about my time as Strigoi, my trip home to see my family and conversations I had there, and all this time with you. The queens' words 'you were being controlled by foreign blood' stood out. I had never thought about it that way. She was right, I will never forget, and that will haunt me until the day I die. But everyone has forgiven me for what I did and was, so it's time I begin to forgive myself. The evil that coursed through my veins took the love I had for you and turned it into something dark and unnatural, just like I was, at the time. I couldn't control it, no matter how much I thought I should have, I know now I never had a choice in the matter. I know you have to choose between _him_ and me and no matter your choice a part of you will be broken. But, I know no matter what choice you make; you will have a friend for life in the one you do not choose. I love you Roza, but if you do not choose me, know this, I will be okay, I will never abandon you, I will be your friend forever. I really just want you to be happy."

"Thank you Dimitri. That means the world to me, and I am glad you have decided to forgive yourself. That is all any of us have ever wanted." We sat there for about another hour just talking, laughing, and enjoying the surrounding area, then decided it was time to head back. We got up and started towards my room. We got to my door and Dimitri ran his fingers down my cheek. "May I kiss you? Just this once?" he asked.

Without saying a word, I stretched up on my toes and gently kissed his lips. I pulled away and said, "I have to go. And you need to go and get some sleep before your shift starts. Thank you for tonight."

"Did it help?" he asked.

"Yes, it did. Thank you again." I gave his hand a squeeze and turned to go in my room.

What I saw when I opened the door surprised me. Lissa and Christian were asleep on my bed, still fully clothed, thank God, and my TV was stuck on the menu for Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End. Lissa had a thing for Johnny Depp, and Christian had a thing for Keira Knightly. I thought the best part was Orlando Bloom.

Liss and Fire Boy were sleeping long ways across the end of the bed, so I changed clothes, washed my face, brushed my hair, and lay down across the top of my bed. I drifted off to sleep soon after my head hit the pillow.

I didn't set the alarm so Lissa woke me up around six. I couldn't believe I had slept so soundly. I got up and went in the bathroom and took a quick shower. When I came out Lissa and Christian were sitting up, propped up by the headboard watching Charmed on TV. "Isn't it eerie how close they actually get it on that show? Just wrong type of people." We all laughed as I said that.

"Morning beautiful. Sorry we slept here all night. We didn't want to ruin any of your _plans,_ but figured you would be safer if we were here." Christian was being snarky with me.

"Nope, no plans to ruin. I just came in and went to bed. You guys didn't…well…you know." I said raising my eyebrows and pointing to the bed.

"Oh, God, NO, Rose. We would never do that on your bed. _Boundaries,_ I do have them." Lissa said kind of embarrassed.

"Good, so, what's the plan for today?" I asked

"Well, first we're going to get something to eat. Then if Adrian doesn't show up, we are going to find him and see what he has planned for tonight." Lissa suggested.

"Okay, lets go." I said walking to the door. We had to stop at both Lissa and Christian's rooms so they could shower and change clothes. I had told them both about my date with Dimitri. When Lissa and I were waiting for Christian to get cleaned up we had a chance to talk a little.

"So, did it help with the decision making?" she asked.

"Yeah, it did actually. But I need to see what happens tonight, hopefully I will know what to do tomorrow or the next day." I said.

"That's good. You need to get this done and out of the way. Not only so we can start going out as a normal group again, but it will make you happier.: Liss put a hand on my leg and gave me a reassuring smile.

"Okay Princesses. Your devastatingly handsome escort is ready to go eat!" Christian exclaimed happily as he walked out of the bathroom. He was really using this princess thing to get under my skin.

We made our way to the diner and saw Eddie and Mia already sitting in our booth. It was our normal routine to meet here for breakfast everyday that we could. It was great.

"So, Rose, how'd it go?" Mia asked. I told the story hoping Adrian wouldn't saunter in until I was finished. I finished by telling them I thought my decision would be coming in the next day or two.

As I said that I saw Adrian walk in. God was on my side today. "Hey everyone. Been waiting long? Of course you have. Anyway, ready for a great night tonight? It's gonna be a blast." He said as he sat in his usual spot next to me.

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to letting lose tonight." Eddie said.

"So, Rose, have a good time last night?" Adrian asked. I knew it pained him to ask that, but he was always considerate when it came to this. But he did have that usual Adrian tone too.

"Yeah, it was nice." Was all I said.

"Well, Lissa, after we're done here we need to go meet with Abe. He called me earlier and said our new mentor arrived. We need to go meet with them. He said it would take a couple hours, so why don't we eat then meet with them, then meet for lunch in my room. I can order pizza. Maybe around 1:30? I can call everyone and let them know for sure when we are done."

"Sounds good to me. I need to get some running time in this morning anyway. And I am sure Liss needs to feed, even after breakfast. You haven't fed since yesterday." I said as our food arrived.

"Well, I can feed after the meeting, I hate feeding after I have eaten food. It makes me feel bloated." She said.

We all dug in and ate. When we were finished we said our "see ya laters" and parted ways. I stood with Lissa and Adrian and told them good luck and to come to my room when they were done. I wanted to know who their new mentor was.

We parted ways and I went to the track. I changed into my running shorts and sports bra and began my five-mile run. Thoughts of tonight were swirling around in my head. I was starting to get nervous. What was I going to do? I was pretty sure I knew my choice already, but I wanted to have a good time tonight and let loose. So I would wait, and just put it out of my mind and enjoy it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**AN: I know some of you are wondering who Rose is going to choose. Well just so you know I plan on revealing it in chapter 11. I want to do a chapter on the night of dancing and letting go, but I promise it will be soon. Thank you for reading and I am glad you all like it so far. I hope it continues.**

**I do not own VA. Richelle Mead owns it.**

Running was always relaxing for me. It gave me time to just be in my own head. It was quiet and I was able to just be. No worries, no problems, just me and my music. I got done with my stretches and strapped my iPod to my arm and hit play. The first song that played was "Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse. It was a great song to set a rhythm to. The ground felt nice beneath my feet as I ran. I was at peace for the first time in about three days.

I started thinking about what I was going to wear tonight. I wanted to let loose and decided I needed a "let loose" outfit to go along with my "sultry and dramatic" look the girls had planned for me. I figured we would all end up looking "sultry and dramatic'. I wasn't sure if I wanted to wear a skirt or pants. I guess I should wait for Mia and Lissa and see what they were wearing.

It was nice that we had such a close group. We had all been through some sort of tragedy together and that brought us closer. We were close and always stuck close to one another and would forever, I thought.

I hoped after I make my choice things won't change much, but as soon as that thought entered my mind I pushed it out. I didn't want thoughts of that to make me nervous and ruin the fun I wanted to have tonight.

As I came around the last corner of the last lap I saw one of the other guardians standing by the gate stretching for a run. I looked at my iPod and noticed I had been running longer than I had planned. I went over to the gate and starting doing my cool down stretches that Dimitri had taught me. "Hey, Sasha, how are you?" she was one of the few female guards we had here at court.

"Hey Rose. I'm good. Just getting some laps in before my shift. You working this weekend?" She asked.

"Nope. Abe, um… Prince Mazur-Arcos" I'll never get used to calling him that. "Arranged for me to have the weekend plus Monday off. Something about processing what the queens will had revealed." I said with a sigh.

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about that. Congratulations on your new title by the way. Are you going to continue guarding?" She asked curiously.

"For right now, yeah, I guess, as much as I guard Lissa here at Court. But I don't know what will happen a week from now, so I don't know what I am going to do. There's just so much to do, and so much I don't know how to do, that I just don't know." Not to mention other choices as well. I added in my head.

"Well, no matter what you do, good luck. You'll succeed in anything you decide. I am sure of it. Well, I gotta start running. See you later." She said as she ran off.

I hope so I thought to myself. I walked to the locker rooms to take a quick shower before heading back to my room. I got my towel and walked into the shower room. This room was really unlike any shower room I had ever seen. There were benches and shelves set through the middle of the room, and on the sides were lines of glass shower cubicles. When you stepped in and shut the door, the water automatically came on and the glass turned white. The floors were white and gray smooth tile. I wish I had a shower like this in my room.

I stepped in and the water started. The heat relaxed my sore muscles as I let it rain down over my hair and body. As I was finishing up my hair I heard the door open up. "Hello? Rose, are you in here?" It was Christian.

"Man, Fire Boy. What are you doing in here? You do know this is girls shower room, don't you?" I said, clearly irritated.

"I know. Sorry, but Lissa's looking for you and sent me to get you. So, here I am!"

"You're just hoping to get a peak for free aren't you?" I said jokingly as I turned off the water and grabbed my towel. You had five minutes after turning the water off before the walls went clear again.

"Yeah, that's it. I want to ruin my relationship with Liss just so I can have a chance to see you naked, Rose." Christian threw back at me.

While I got changed behind a curtain, I asked him, "Why didn't she just use the bond? It would have been quicker."

"She said she didn't want you trying to slip into her head. And you're not allowed to do it now. Besides, she's blocking you anyway." He said with a smirk. "Come on, hurry up. We need to get to Abe's office. They're waiting for you." Man he's impatient. What is this all about, and who's waiting for me?

I left my hair wet and we took off towards Abe's office. When we entered I saw who was there and I was so excited. "Mark and Oksana? Oh my god! How are you?" I asked as I walked over and hugged them both.

"We're good. It's a little odd being away from home, but when Abe called and said he needed us and explained what for, we couldn't refuse. We couldn't pass up the opportunity to meet Vasilisa and Adrian in person. And of course, see you again." She said this as she was hugging me back.

"I'm just glad it's you that will mentoring them. How long are you staying? I asked.

"As long as we are needed. Sonya and the babies are staying at our house to take care of things. So as long as you need us here, we will be here." She said.

"That's great. We'll have to catch up. Where are you staying? Have you seen your room?"

"No, not yet, we came right here from the plane. But Abe tells us he got us a cottage on the other side of guest housing and that it even has a garden I can tend to." Mark replied.

Lissa walked over then. "Rose, I think we should go. I just got a text from Mia wondering what's taking so long."

I nodded and turned back to Oksana. "Sorry, but we have to go. Big plans for tonight." I shot Abe a look and he nodded. "Can we meet up tomorrow and catch up?"

"That would be great. We have missed you. Call us when you are ready." She said then leaned down and kissed my forehead. Mark touched my shoulder and they walked out to the waiting car hand in hand.

Lissa and Adrian waked over to me. "Well, come on, let's go get Mia and Eddie and head to Adrian's room." Lissa suggested.

"Liss you haven't fed yet. You need to go to the feeders. Why don't you call Mia and have them meet us at Adrian's?" I said.

She rolled her eyes at me, but agreed. I could tell she was getting weak. "Christian and I will go to my room and wait for everyone. Still want pizza?" Adrian asked.

"Yep, sounds good. Come on Liss, lets go." I said as I grabbed her and pulled her out of the room.

"So, what do you think of Oksana and Mark?" I asked as we made our way to the feeders.

"She's awesome. I'm so glad I am going to get to work with her. She's going to be able to teach us so much. And I'm sure both she and Mark will be able to help us with the shadow-kissed thing." Lissa went on and on, she was so excited. I was excited to. I was looking forward to working with them both on our bond. And I was glad Adrian and Lissa would have someone to teach them about spirit.

We got to the feeders and Lissa went in. I waited outside. I didn't like to go in unless I absolutely had to. The last time I let someone feed from me was Adrian and it was such an intimate moment between us, and I just didn't like watching it done anymore. While I waited I spotted Jill coming towards me. "Hey Jill, where you off to?" I said smiling at her.

"What's it to you Rose?" She snapped back. Whoa, what is_ that?_

I ran up and grabbed her arm. "What's with the attitude? What did I do?" I was confused.

"Well, if you must know, I called Mia this morning to see if she wanted to train some and she said she couldn't because she had plans with the gang. Well, I felt bad. I thought I was part of the gang and I haven't seen or heard from any of you since the reading." She was pissed.

"Jill, I'm sorry. We didn't think. Unfortunately, tonight's plans involve going to a club and you're underage. That's probably why no one thought to ask you. I'm sorry. But hey, you _are_ part of the gang. We love you. With the exception of tomorrow, we meet every morning at the diner for breakfast to start the day. I'll come by Sunday and get you and you can start coming too. Okay?" I felt really bad for pretty much forgetting about her..

"Okay" she said sheepishly. "Sorry for getting all upset. I know there's a lot going on for all you guys right now. And I am sure including a fifteen year old isn't that high on your list but I felt really left out." She sounded kind of embarrassed.

"It's okay Jill. This is new to us as well. Hey, there's your sister." I said as Lissa came towards us.

"Hey Jill." She said with a hug. "Sorry we haven't been hanging out. Lot's going on. Why don't you join us for breakfast Sunday and we'll break you in right?"

"Rose already asked and I will be there. Thanks. I have to go meet my mom for lunch. See you later." Jill walked away smiling and I felt better.

"Lets get to Adrian's before he calls in a search party to find us." I said.

We got to Adrian's and everyone was waiting for us. Lissa went to sit with Christian and I took the barstool. Adrian came in from the kitchen and announced "I ordered the pizza, now we can start with the planning. Anyone for a drink?" He headed towards the bar.

"Don't you think it's a little early to start drinking? I mean, we will be drinking tonight and we have an open tab from my dad." I said smiling. No one knew I had set that up with my dad earlier.

"WHAT?" everyone said in unison. Even Adrian was shocked.

"Yeah, I asked him this morning. I figured being a princess has to have some perks, so I just flat out asked him. He said it was fine. Just that we all need to be careful. And he is even sending us in a limo. It's coming to pick us off and take us home, so no one has to drive or walk." I said, proud of myself.

"Cool. Sounds like all the details are planned then. What time is the limo picking us up and where?" Eddie asked.

"Nine, just outside the feeders. It's central to all of us and I figured with a group of six on a Friday night, we should get there early to get a good table." I said.

"What, dear ole dad couldn't have reserved at a table for us too?" Adrian asked.

"He probably could have, but I didn't want to push it, and I don't want that kind of recognition. Money is good enough for now, don't ya think?" I said laughing.

Just then the pizza arrived and we all pigged out. After we finished we all looked like we had just finished Thanksgiving dinner.

"Well, I am going to go take a nap so I am ready for tonight. Why don't the girls come to my room and the guys come here to get ready?" I suggested. I hoped Adrian wouldn't be upset about me inviting the guys to his room.

"Yeah, that sounds good. How about four o'clock?" Adrian said, apparently he didn't mind the invite.

Lissa jumped up. "It's settled then, four o'clock, okay Rose?" I nodded. "Good, lets go and get some rest and we'll see you all at four."

Adrian was standing next to me and leaned over to me. "You can rest here. I'll have you back by four." He whispered in my ear.

"Adrian" I said while I pushed his chest. "You know that's not the deal. I'll see you at nine though. You can live without me that long, can't you?" I gave him my best man-eating smile.

"I can't go on at all without you Little Dhampir." He smiled back, but pulled me to the door. 'See you in your dreams, babe."

I smiled and walked out. I walked with Lissa after Christian split off after kissing her goodbye. She and I lived in the same building so we had some time to talk.

"Rose, are you sure you should be drinking tonight? I mean, with all things considered?"

"It'll be fine Liss. I can order what ever I want. If I want a soda, I'll have a soda. But I want to let loose tonight. I want to have some fun. Besides, I'll be able to dance it off. I am really looking forward to dancing. Hey, what are you wearing, do you know yet?"

"Yeah, but you'll have to wait and see when I bring my stuff over."

"Okay, all I really want to know is pants or skirt?" I asked.

"Pants. Well, here we are. Get some rest, see you at four." She walked into her room.

I went in my room and locked the door. It was already two o'clock so I set my alarm for 3:30. I flopped down and went to sleep.

I felt my dreams morph into an Adrian dream. We were in the limo. Figures. "Hello Little Dhampir"

"Hi there. I figured I would see you."

"Just wanted to see if you'd tell me a couple things?"

"Depends on what you want to know." I said with a smile.

" Well, one is, what are you wearing tonight?"

I smiled and replied, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Okay, I figured you wouldn't tell me. Now, what color would you like to see me in? Stormy blue or a dark smokey purple?"

I thought about that for a moment. "The purple. I love the way it brings out your eyes."

He smiled. "One more?" I nodded. "Do you know who your gonna choose? I told you I would wait forever, and I will, but I'm getting curious. I feel like you're pulling me away from me sometimes."

"I'm almost there Adrian. But that's all your getting. Now, I will see you at nine. Rest Adrian. I am looking forward to dancing with you and you are gonna need to be rested." I winked at him and he bowed gallantly in from of me. "Your wish is my command." And the dream faded.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Here is the club chapter. It will start out with them getting ready, then moving on to the club. It is getting kind of long, so I may break it up into two. I have posted pictures of the girls clothes on my profile. Check it out.**

**Richelle Mead owns everything VA.**

The alarm went off and I stretched. I got up and went to closet. I pulled out my low-rise leather pants, a cropped white and silver belted halter-top, and my black patent leather heals. I was glad I had brought these back from Portland after we were caught there. I had just bought them, and never had a chance to wear them. Tonight would be a perfect night to get use from them.

There was a knock on the door and then Lissa and Mia walked through. Lissa had a key so came in with her arms full and still had to go back and get the makeup. Mia walked in behind her and brought a suitcase with her. What on earth did she have in there? What had I gotten myself into?

"Well, we have five hours to get ready. We can relax and just take our time. The guys decided to wait and meet at seven instead. Must be nice not having to do too much to look good." We all laughed as Mia said that.

"So, what do you guys have planned?" I asked motioning to Mia's suitcase. They loved primping, and the relished the idea of me letting them do this stuff to me.

"Well, first lets see the outfits we're wearing." Lissa suggested.

Mia pulled out a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, a black, one shouldered fitted tank top with some stitching on it, and a pair of cherry red leather wedge pumps. Lissa produced a pair of low cut boot cut pants, a deep pink, almost red satin tank top that looked like it would flow on her body, and a pair of black leather gladiator like pumps. I had to admit, we were going to look good. My clothes were lying on the bed and both girls looked at them and smiled. They obviously agreed with me.

"Hey, I had an idea. I thought maybe we could wear something less flattering over our clothes when we go to meet up with the guys. Let them think we just wanted to go casual. Then at the bar do the big reveal? I already called Mia, and she brought something and I thought if you didn't have anything Rose, we can always go look through my stuff." Lissa said excitedly.

"I thought it sounded great. Shock value is always fun." Mia said as she pulled out an white leather tie jacket. It was beautiful but casual at the same time. Lissa had brought a whitish button up shirt that was long enough to be a dress and tied around the waist.

I walked over to the closet and looked around. Then I found it. "How about this Liss? It will cover my shirt completely, but still go with the leather pants." I said as I held up a leopard print zip up vest.

They both smiled and nodded. "That's great Rose." Lissa responded. "Okay girls, lets get started.

Lissa got her shower first. Mia pulled out all her accessories she had brought with her. She had brushes, a hairdryer, and three sets of hot curlers. Two sets for my hair and one for Lissa. She made me change into my bathrobe and sit down in the chair. Somehow, she talked me into letting her put a few strategically placed caramel colored highlights in my hair. Then it was her turn to get her shower and then Lissa joined me. She began plugging in the curlers and dried her hair while I watched and waited to rinse this stuff out of my hair. I went over to my dresser and pulled out my black lace thong and white lace halter bra. Lissa looked over and asked, "Are you planning on being bad?" motioning to my hand. "No, I just don't want to have panty lines under my pants." I smiled back.

Mia came out and said I could go in now. "Make sure you rinse your hair until the water runs clear, and use the conditioner I set in there." She yelled after me. I looked at the clock and noticed it was nearing 6:30 already.

When I finished, I walked out and noticed they had covered all the mirrors, with the exception of the bathroom, with sheets so I couldn't see myself until they were done with me.

It took until 8:15 to finish everything. I even had to dress without the help of a mirror. Finally, after we were all done, and man, did my friends look HOT, they took down the sheets. Mia had straitened her normally curly hair and Lissa had curls all over. Their makeup was smoky and seductive. I turned towards the mirror and was shocked at what I saw. There was a sultry and seductive siren staring back at me. My hair was done in curls, half of it pulled loosely back, pinned into a beautiful silver and black barrette. The highlights looked really good. My eyes had a smoky dark gray eye shadow and dramatic eyeliner and mascara. My lips were a deep red that just looked beautiful. And my clothes, they fit me like a glove. I went over to my dresser and put on a small amount of Obsession, a fragrance Adrian loved on me.

We put our cover shirts on and headed for the limo. The guys were standing there waiting for us. When they looked up they were all pretty shocked. "As good as you all look, we figured you'd "let go" a little more." Eddie said, noticing our casual styles.

"What, leopard print and leather is casual to you?" I asked, they just laughed and shrugged.

We all piled into the limo. The guys looked good too. Eddie had on black jeans and fitted white with gray stripes, button up shirt. Christian had on blue jeans with a fitted ice blue pullover that matched his eyes perfectly. Then there was Adrian. He looked the best, well in my eyes. He had on dark washed fitted Armani jeans that were a little faded in the thighs, and a deep smoky purple fitted henley that was unbuttoned at the neck. His hair was stylishly mess as usual and he had on my favorite cologne, Safari. It fit him perfectly. That shirt showed off just how muscular he actually was. He had a good physique for a Moroi.

Adrian leaned over to my ear and whispered, "Little Dhampir, I was hoping you would be wearing something a little more revealing," as he walked his fingers up my leg.

"Hey, I just wanted to be comfortable, that's all." I laughed. "And Adrian? Please behave." I turned back to the conversation going on around us.

We got to the club and there was already a line forming at the door. This was one of the most popular clubs at Court and they didn't open officially until 9:30. It was only 9:15. But for tonight we were considered VIP's thanks to Abe. We all laughed when we saw Pavel, my dads' main guardian, at the door. My father was obviously watching tonight. We all said hi and walked in. The club was immaculate. It had a _huge _dance floor and a raised platform for the DJ. There were tables everywhere and a large rectangular bar off to the side. There was even a second floor that was open, almost like a balcony, with tables and a small bar in the corner, surrounding the walls. We chose our table close to the dance floor and sat down.

People started to file in and take their seats. Lissa looked up and said, "Why don't you guys go and get us drinks. I need to go to the restroom and thought maybe you girls would want to join me?" She said with her eyebrows raised. We all got up except Christian, he had offered to stay and keep the table, and went our separate ways.

We went in and took our cover shirts off and waited until all the guys were back at the table. By the time we were ready to come back out there was quite a crowd and we made our way over to Pavel, hoping he would take our shirts to the limo for us. "Well girls, you definitely look different than you did when you got here." He said looking us all over. "Don't forget Rose, your father is watching, but he won't reveal himself, he just wants to be sure everything goes alright."

"I figured as much. That's okay though. I trust him to keep his distance. Hey can you take these to limo for us so we don't have to carry them around?" He nodded. "Thanks."

We walked back over to our table and all three guys jumped up and stared. I think we got the desired effect. We giggled and went to sit down. Adrian pulled out my chair for me, still unable to say anything. Finally he stammered out "Wow, you look great. You're going to make it hard for me to keep my hands to myself tonight." He said as he ran his finger along the halter strap of my shirt, sending chills down my spine. "You all look wonderful. We are the luckiest guys in here tonight." All the guys agreed.

People started moving to the dance floor so I asked Adrian if he would like to dance with me some. He jumped up instantly, ready to go. I started to tell the others, and then noticed that both couples were busy kissing so I just took Adrian's hand and lead him to the dance floor. We danced to a few songs, and decided we needed a drink so we went back over to the table. I finished my drink and Adrian went to get us another round. When he returned, the others went to dance and I said we would join them soon. Adrian sat down with me and just stared at me. "What? Do I have something on my face?" I asked him.

"No, you just look amazing, and I _love_ the highlights." He answered as he took one of my curls in his hand.

"Hey, Adrian! Haven't seen you in here for a while, where you been hiding?" We heard someone call. Adrian looked up and then rolled his eyes. "Hey Darin, yeah, I've had a lot going on. You know, other priorities besides getting drunk five nights a week." He answered. I could tell he was instantly annoyed when he saw who it was. Then there was another voice. "Adrian Ivashkov, long time no see. You look ravishing tonight." I suddenly didn't like this voice. She came and sat down on his other side and touched his arm. I was going to have to rip this girls hand off if she didn't watch it.

He shrugged away from her and said "Hi Piper. How you been? Where's the catch of night?" He asked. Again I could tell he was getting annoyed. "Well, I would say he is sitting right here. It's been a long time Adri." She purred. Okay, time to end this. I stomped on Adrian's foot. "Ouch!" I had to giggle a little. "Rose, this is Darin, and this is Piper. I went to school with them. We used to hang out a lot. There's also Maxim, Tristin, Levi, and Caleb. Hey, were is everyone else?" He asked.

"Oh, they are actually setting up for a party at Levi's. We are headed over there in a little bit, just thought we would come here and get a drink before we headed over to his house. You should stop by, after you're done here." Piper sounded like she didn't like me already. She could probably sense I was Dhampir, but obviously didn't know who I was.

"No, I am fine right where I am. But thanks for the invite." He leaned over and kissed my cheek.

"Well, when you get tired of the company here, you are always welcome. See ya around!" She said as she walked off. Darin just turned then looked over his shoulder and waved.

"Man, I was about to slap that face of hers." I said clearly annoyed.

"Jealous?" I smacked his arm. "I figured you were getting upset. They are asses. I used to go out with Piper and she just doesn't get the hint. I mean it's been like two years and she's acting like no time at all has passed. Oh well, I am here with you, you look beautiful, and smell wonderful, and I am ready to dance. You?" I nodded. "Lets go." I said as I took his hand and led him to the others.

The DJ was playing "For Your Entertainment" by Adam Lambert. The beat was amazing. And Adrian was an amazing dancer. We moved to the music, letting the music take control. We were getting close, but I didn't mind. About three songs in they slowed the music down and Adrian wrapped his arms around my waist. And wouldn't you know it, it was another Adam Lambert song. This time it was "Time for Miracles". I wrapped my arms around Adrian's neck and laid my head on his shoulder. As we swayed to the music Adrian began talking. "Remember when we met and I told you how sexy I thought you smelled? Well, that sexiness is back. Your natural sent along with that perfume is intoxicating." Then he was quiet. I smiled thinking back on that time. I had a black eye then and he still thought I was beautiful. We finished dancing and decided to go get some more to drink.

We were all seated at the table again, everyone talking at once. We were having such a good time; I didn't want this night to end. I looked at the clock and noticed it was only 10:45. I still had a long ways to go till this night was over. We mingled amongst the other patrons in the club, stopping to talk to different people we knew, I even found my dad. He was in a dark corner with some of his "associates" and they did have that scary look to them. I went over to him to say hi and his associates looked me up and down. I think at that point I actually heard my father growl. The two guys jumped as though they had been kicked and looked back over to Abe. "Rose, can I talk to you alone a moment?" He asked. "Sure" we walked to a small hallway where no one was. "Honey, you know you are a beautiful woman, and men like to ogle beautiful women. But do you have to dress like that?" He was somewhat joking, but I knew the seriousness of his remarks. He was just being protective.

"Dad, I am a grown woman. I know I look good, and I wanted to let loose tonight. I told you that. If you don't like it then leave. Or at least don't look." I said with a smile.

"Just be careful Rose, I would hate to think that someone would want to try and take advantage of you. And I would hate to see what you would do to someone who was trying to take advantage of you. You go and have fun with your friends, but I will be watching to make sure no one messes with any of you." He said thoughtfully.

"Thanks Dad." And with that, I walked back to Adrian and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the dance floor once more.

Again, being lost in the music and Adrian's body and the way it moved I started thinking about the two men in my life. They were both gorgeous, but that wasn't the reason I loved them. It was just an added bonus. They were both strong, smart, their smiles lit up my world, but one did more so than other. And although I couldn't survive without both of them in my life, there is just one that I couldn't live without in my heart. He could keep up with me in just about everything I did. He never turned his back on me, and I couldn't bear the thought of not seeing him smile for one day. I couldn't stand the thought of being away from him and not seeing him for more than one day at time. And even that, one day was too much. I knew it was inevitable that we couldn't be together 24/7 but I also knew that we would never be apart. I looked up into the green eyes that stared back at me.

"What are you looking at? You look like you just heard the most shocking information ever." He said with a sweet laugh.

"I did." Was all I said. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him to me. Our lips were only about an inch apart. "What are you doing Rose, rules, remember?" Adrian whispered. "I'm done with the rules Adrian." And with that, I crashed my lips to his.

We kissed for what seemed like an eternity and finally pulled away, both of us breathless. He had a slight smile on his face that made it apparent he was still confused as to what just happened. I looked around at all four of my other friends; they had stopped dancing and were just staring at us. "Rose? What did you just do?" Lissa asked me sounding kind of concerned. "I think I just chose." I said and reached back up and starting kissing Adrian again, as we started swaying to the music again.

**I know a lot of you wanted Dimitri and Rose together, but I love Adrian and I thought there were a lot of stories out there about R+D already. I hope you still continue to read. There is more coming up. Thanks again and be sure to read and review.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Richelle Mead owns everything VA. I own the plot line and any characters I add to the mix. **

**I hope you are all enjoying this. This chapter does have some intense lemons in it. I will let you know when they are coming so if you would prefer not to read it, and then you can skip it. But it is quite sweet if I do say so myself. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review.**

After the song ended, Adrian pulled away from my lips, and it felt like I had lost part of myself. He took my hand and led me to our table. The lights were flashing and it seemed like everyone in the club was feeling the music as I watched them. We made it to the table and I sat down. Adrian went to the bar to get us another drink and I saw Lissa headed my way. "So, you made your choice, huh?" Motioning toward Adrian.

"Yeah, I did. I can't live without him Liss. Are you happy?" I asked her. I knew she loved Adrian, but I had always suspected she was pulling for Dimitri.

"Rose, I am beyond ecstatic. I always knew he was the one for you. Listen, Adrian is on his way back. We're going to go up and hang out with your dad while you two talk. Let me know when you're done and want to dance some more." She kissed me quick and ran off before I could respond.

Adrian returned with two drinks and handed one to me. He sat down and put his hand gently on my cheek. He was shaking. That was pretty uncharacteristic of him. He was always so sure of everything. It made me a little nervous. Maybe he had moved on and didn't want me anymore. Maybe I took too long. Time to find out.

"So, Little Dhampir. That was quite the dance." He said while running his fingers through his hair and motioning towards the dance floor.

"Well, I aim to please. Don't tell you didn't enjoy it." I teased back.

"Oh, God no. Very enjoyable. But, are you serious? I don't want you making a premature decision, then waking up tomorrow and regretting it. I mean, we've been drinking, and dancing, closely I might add, and I want you to be sure this isn't an alcohol-induced thing. I want you to be sure. I swear to you Rose, I did not want to come out here and get you drunk just to get you close to me again. I just want to make sure you are happy and this is what you really want. Once I have you, I won't let you go again."

"Adrian," I said as I touched his face. "I love _you._ I want _you. _I can't live without _you._ You have never denied your feeling for me, you have supported me in all of my decisions, right or wrong. To see you smile and know that I can make you smile is the best feeling for me. I can't stand the thought of not being with _you._ I want _us_ to be together and have a future together. That is, if you will still have me." I said as I looked into his beautiful green eyes. "Adrian, I made my decision yesterday. I just wanted to let go tonight. I was going to tell you tomorrow, but I just couldn't help myself."

"Rose, you have made me the happiest man alive. _Of course_ I'll have you. You are my reason for living. I love you so much. You have become my best friend, my salvation, and you will forever hold my heart. I am the luckiest man alive. You have no idea what you have done for me tonight." He leaned in and gently pressed his lips to mine. I leaned into the kiss and kissed him harder and more passionately. We broke apart, once again breathless. I just couldn't get enough of this man. I glanced up to the balcony and saw Lissa and Christian looking and smiling down at us. I saw my dad retreat to the shadows once more.

I waved them down. Adrian wanted to go dance some more, so we made our way to the dance floor. "Nothing Is Logical" by The Bell was playing, it had a different rhythm to it, so we danced closely and Adrian whispered in my ear. "I'm dancing with my girlfriend. The most beautiful woman in this room, well, in the whole world actually." Then he leaned down and gently kissed my lips once more. We danced for about thirty more minutes and decided to go sit and get another drink.

When we got back to the table, everyone was waiting for us. I sat down on Adrian's lap. He wrapped an arm around my back and put the other across my legs. I held his hand and put the other one behind his neck running my fingers through his hair.

Eddie was the first one to speak. "Man, I know you're not gonna like this, but I was kinda pulling for Belikov. I mean, then at least we'd have another Dhampir to hang out with. Don't get me wrong, I love you Adrian, you're one of my best friends, but it would have evened the playing fields between Moroi and Dhampir, you know?"

"Hey man, it's cool. I understand. I want you all to know, I know you _all _love Dimitri and that's not going to change just because of Roses decision. I may not care too much for the man, but I barely know him, and I know Rose needs him in her life. I will by no means push him out of her life, as well as expect you guys to push him out either. I would never ask _any_ of you to turn your backs on him just because of me. I'd like to get to know him now that this competition thing is over. Maybe we could be friends. That is if he wants to. I know it won't be right away. I can imagine how he is going to feel, what he is going to go through. I was afraid it was going to be me. And no, I won't rub it in his face. I wouldn't want it done to me if the tables were turned." Adrian had meant every word he spoke.

"And that, along with a million other reasons, is why I love you." I said as I kissed him.

The DJ announced he was playing the last two songs of the night, so we all finished up our drinks and headed to the dance floor. The first song was "Happy Birthday" by The Birthday Massacre. We all danced and let the music flow through us. Then, the last song was a slow one. It started. It was "Never Say Never" by The Fray. We danced and I was in heaven. I could feel his hands on my back moving up and down while he kissed my shoulder. It sent shivers down my spine. Meanwhile, my arms wrapped around his neck and my hands were in his hair, then slipped down his arms and rested on his hips. It felt so right. The song ended and the lights came on signifying it was the end of dancing time. "This Is Beautiful" by Tyrone Wells played as everyone began clearing out. Tonight had gone perfectly. It was a dream come true for me.

We all piled into the limo, the sun was up now, and Court was quiet. We were all feeling pretty tipsy, and tired, so Lissa and Mia went to the guys' rooms. Adrian leaned over to me and whispered "Do you want to say with me tonight? Or would you rather go back to your room. I don't want to push things." He was always so thoughtful. "There's no way I am letting go of you tonight." I said against his neck as I kissed him. He told the driver, who turned out to be Pavel, to take us to his place. We rode in silence just looking at each other like we hadn't seen one another for a very long time.

**This starts the love scene with Adrian and Rose. If you do not want to read it, that is fine. But it is kind of sweet. I don't get too graphic. I like for the readers to use their imaginations. Hope you enjoy it.**

We got to his place and he opened the door and we walked in. He kicked the door shut and locked it. As soon as he turned I grabbed his face in my hands and kissed him passionately. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around me pulling me up off the floor. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he pushed me against the wall. He reached up and untied my halter and let the straps fall to the front through his fingers. I pulled his shirt out of the top of his jeans and ran my hands up his back under the shirt. His skin felt amazing under my touch. He undid the halter strap of my bra and kissed down my neck to my collarbone. Never once exposing my skin to his fangs.

"God, you are so beautiful." He said against my neck. Then he held me tight and took me to the bedroom and laid me on his bed. He reached down and undid my shoes and threw them into the corner. He then removed his shirt and threw it also. Very carefully he straddled me, holding his weight off of me, while he undid the belt and buttons of my shirt. He let it fall to either side of me on the bed. He took his finger and gently slid it down my face, tracing my lips, then down my neck, then to the top of my bra and traced it with his fingers. His eyes were gleaming with happiness, wonder, and love. I loved the way my body responded to his touch.

I sat up and wrapped my legs around his waist and he wrapped his around me. Our arms were wrapped around each other tightly. The space between us was non-existent. His hands went up to the clasp of my bra and I pulled away. "What? Do you want to stop?" I knew if I did, he would be okay with it, but I could see the disappointment in his eyes. "Oh. No, no. I just wanted to make sure you have protection."

He laughed. "Ahh. Yes I do. It's in the drawer in my night stand." Then he leaned back and whispered, "Now, where were we?" as he undid my bra and threw it somewhere too. I lay back on the bed and he hovered over me. I undid his belt and then undid his jeans. I ran my fingers around the band of his boxers lightly. I felt him shiver slightly from my touch. Within seconds he had my pants off and was standing up removing his jeans. He lay back down with me, turning my on my side and lying behind me, he kissed my neck and was running his hand up and down my leg. I had my arm wrapped behind his head, running my fingers through his hair as he kissed my neck and back. It was then that he whispered in my ear. "Are you sure?" it would be our first time making love. "Oh Adrian, I have never been so sure of anything in my life."

He reached his hand around and cupped my breast and gave my nipple a pinch. I rolled over and he removed my thong as I removed his boxers. He was a sight to see. I reached over and opened the drawer of his nightstand and pulled out a condom. Once he had it on, we continued our discovery of each others body. Finally he hovered over top of me and crashed his lips to mine. This time it was pure hunger. I felt him gently enter me and we settled into a comfortable rhythm. "Adrian" I moaned against his lips. I heard a lustful growl escape his lips. It was actually part growl and part "Rose".

I decided to take control and flipped him over never breaking contact. I pinned his arms above his head and rocked slowly back and forth. His hands finally broke free and they were on my back instantly, holding me as closely as he could. I felt myself start to reach ecstasy and began moving faster. "Oh, Rose, please don't stop." He purred. All of a sudden I felt every nerve in my body explode. He flipped me over quicker than I ever thought possible and made two hard thrusts and moaned my name. "Oh my god, Adrian." I said a little louder than I had planned.

He slowly rolled off of me and I cuddled up into his chest. "Wow, that was amazing." He breathed out. "Through all my exploits I never thought I could ever feel anything like that. I love you." He kissed my forehead. "Yes, it was wonderful." I said as I kissed his bare chest. "You drive me crazy Little Dhampir. Now, go to sleep, you have to be exhausted. I know I am." He smiled. "I will be here when you wake up." " I love you Adrian Ivashkov." "I love you too my love." And we both drifted off into sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**AN: Richelle Mead owns all VA.**

I woke up with a horrible headache. But it didn't overshadow that when I awoke I was enveloped in the most wonderful arms in the world. I could feel Adrian's steady breath on my neck as I lay in his arms. I was sure nothing could compare to this feeling. I managed to roll over without waking him and just stared at his angelic face. I reached up to brush some of his hair from his forehead. A smile spread slowly across his lips, lighting his face, his eyes still closed. "Little Dhampir? Please tell me I'm not dreaming. That is actually for real?" He said quietly.

I leaned up and kissed his lips gently. "No, you're not dreaming. Is this real enough for you? I am still here my love." I whispered against his lips. He wrapped his arms tighter around me, pulling me closer and making what little space there had been, nonexistent now. We kissed passionately and I could feel that feeling building that this was going to proceed to another round of lovemaking. I let him take control and it was sensual and slow this time. Every nerve in my body was tingling and I just wanted to hold onto him forever. It was like he was worshiping every inch of my body. I had never felt so loved. His fingers touched every inch of my skin and he trailed sweet, gentle kisses from my brow all the way to my toes. I didn't realize or even think I could feel so much. I felt bad that he was doing all the work, but he was definitely in control this morning.

After we were done, we just lay there in each other's arms, basking in the presence of one another. "I'll give anything to wake up that every morning. I don't think it can get any better than this. " he said while he stroked my arm. I had my head resting on his chest and could hear his heart beating. It was the most wonderful sound besides his voice at the moment. "Well, I don't want to stop trying."

I rolled over and started to crawl out of bed. He grabbed my arm gently and said, "Where do you think you're going?

I smiled "I need to go get a shower. I have things I need to do today."

"Can I join you?" He said with a sultry smile.

"Only if you think you can handle it." I said over my shoulder as I disappeared around the corner. I heard him jump up off the bed and come running into the bathroom. He wrapped an arm around my waist and said in my ear, "I know _I_ can handle it. Question is if _you_ can?"

He leaned around me and started the water then stepped in under it. The water cascaded into his hair and over his body. He was an angel. I stood there dumbstruck, just taking in his beautiful form when he interrupted my thoughts. "Well?" He said motioning me to join him. I stepped in next to him. I let the water drench my hair and reached for the shampoo. He stopped my hand and said, "Allow me." He put shampoo in his hands and started massaging it into my hair. It was so sensual and it was over far to soon. I turned and let the water rinse it out of my hair. Then he grabbed the shower sponge and gel and lathered it up. He began at my neck and lathered my whole body with the luxurious soap. He was so gentle, and he never said a word. I have to admit it was one of the sexiest things I had ever had done to me. So attentive, so loving, so soft. When the water had washed away all the soap, I took the sponge from him and returned the favor. We were both breathing heavier than usual, but it was nothing sexual. It was something else entirely.

I ran my hand across the plains of his chest and down his abdomen. Running my hands down his back I heard him let out a moan. "This is the most intimate thing I think I have ever done." He said trying to keep his breathing normal. "Shh. No words." I said back as I worked down his legs. I stood back up slowly, trailing my fingers along his legs, to his hips, then to his back. He stepped into the water and let it run down his body washing all the soap away. I washed his hair and let the water rinse it out. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled into the most intimate, sensual kiss I had ever experienced. There was no lust, no hunger, just pure, unadulterated love.

The water began to run cold signifying it was time to get out. We both laughed as we got towels and began to dry off. "Adrian, I don't have anything to wear home, and I don't think I should be walking across Court with it in full swing. What do you suggest I do?"

"Well, first off I suggest you just stay here, but, since that seems to be out of the question, go ahead and pick something of mine out. I don't mind." He said as he slipped into a pair of cargo pants and a black t-shirt. I chose a pair of navy blue running pants, a green "wife beater" and a lightweight gray zip up hoodie. I grabbed one of his baseball hats and pulled my hair through it and slipped into a pair of his flip-flops. "Even in my shabby work out clothes, you are a sight for sore eyes. Absolutely beautiful." He said as he checked me out from head to toe.

I looked at him, clearly shocked. "Your _work out_ clothes?"

"What, you think this body is God-given?" he ran his hands down his chest. "Even I need some help in the muscle department."

"OH, okay. Well, I need to go." I said through soft laughter. "I have to…um…some things to do." I murmured.

"I know, you need to go see Dimitri. It's okay. I understand. And I am sure Lissa is looking for you too. Go, take care of things. Will I see you tonight?" He asked quietly.

"Honestly I don't know. All depends on how things go today. But I will call you regardless." I said

"Okay. It's all going to be fine. It'll be hard, sure, but it _will_ work out." He said as he pulled me to him and enveloped me in a hug. "I love you my Little Dhampir."

"I love you too my love." And I walked out the door. He was always so understanding, and this was no different. He knew what needed to be done. And I just loved him more for it. I took out my cell and dialed Lissa. "Rose? Where are you? Are you okay?" She sounded frantic.

"Whoa, slow down Liss. I am fine. I just left Adrian's. What's going on? You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just hadn't heard from you, and it's after lunch. It's not like you to be cooped up somewhere when it's time to eat. I got worried. I tried to call you and Adrian both, but you must have turned off your phones."

"Yeah, I guess we didn't want to be interrupted." I said laughing a little.

"Oh. OH. Ewww. Did you guys…uh…you know…do it?" she asked, obviously embarrassed.

"Yes, Liss. We did. And it was mind-blowing. But I will have to tell you about it later. I have to get home, change clothes, and find Dimitri." I said, getting nervous all of a sudden.

"Do you want me to come with? You know, just for moral support?" I knew she was not only concerned about me, but Dimitri as well.

"No, Liss. It's okay. If I need you, I will call you, but I have to do this alone. I'll let you know when I am finished though, okay?" I was hoping I would be able to reassure her.

"Okay. Talk to you later then. Good luck. Love ya, bye!" Then she hung up. She never does give me a chance to respond.

I got to my room and took off my hat and pulled my hair up into a ponytail, then changed into jeans, a t-shirt, and a pair of high tops. I grabbed my phone, sat down on the bed, and dialed Dimitri's number.

Finally on the fourth ring he answered. "Belikov"

"Hi Comrade." Was all I could get out.

"Roza, hi, what's up?" he sounded tired but happy to hear from me. Little did he know I was going to break his heart.

"Not a whole lot." I lied. "Can we meet? I need to talk to you."

"Sure, when and where?" He said cheerfully. But even through the cheeriness, there was something that seemed…well…off.

"Um, how about the garden behind the library? It's pretty quiet back there. And lets say fifteen minutes?" I suggested.

"Sounds good to me. See you there. Bye." And he hung up. Man, is no one going to let me say goodbye on the phone?

I headed out the door and sent Adrian a text. _I love you my love._ My phone beeped and I read: _I love you too Little Dhampir. It will be okay._ He knew how nervous I was. _Lissa and I will be watching._ I smiled at that; they were following me, just to be sure. I didn't need to look for them; I could sense them through the bond. They were both worried.

I got there before Dimitri. I looked around and saw him heading towards me. He was still, and always would be, my Russian God. And here I was, preparing to break his heart.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**This chapter may be a little shorter than the previous ones. But I think it is good if I do say so myself. Hope you enjoy. **

**Richelle Mead owns all VA**

Have you ever had one of those moments when you're watching something and all of a sudden time just seems to slow down? I was having one of those moments now. I watched as Dimitri approached, and everything started moving in slow motion. He walked towards me, slowly, with his chin length brown hair blowing slowly in the wind. He didn't have it pulled back today. He had on black cargos, a red t-shirt and his brown leather duster. It made him look rugged.

I knew that Adrian and Lissa were close. I looked around nervously as I wondered what colors they were seeing in my aura. I would have to ask them later. I sat on a stone bench surrounded by beautiful blooms of jasmine and ivy climbing the trellis behind me. The sent of the jasmine was wonderful. I felt it when Dimitri sat down next to me. He took my hand in his and sighed. "Roza."

"Comrade. How was your shift?" I thought maybe making small talk would soften things a bit.

"It was good. Pretty boring. Just patrolled really. You know nothing really goes on here at Court. Not like at the school. But, we both know that's not why you asked to talk to me." He said. Always strait to the point, I thought.

"Well, Comrade, you see, uh," Oh God, how do I do this? "I've made a decision." I paused. He squeezed my hand. He saw that this was difficult for me.

"Stop Roza. I already know." He sighed.

"What do you mean?" I was shocked. "Who told you?" I was getting a little pissed off thinking someone would tell him before I could. But, Lissa and Adrian were the only ones that knew, and I knew they didn't tell him. It came through loud and clear through the bond. Wait, Christian, Eddie, Mia and Abe knew too. But would they really tell him first? No, they knew this was something I needed to on my own. At least, for their sake, they better not have. I got up and started pacing. I was getting more and more pissed.

"Roza, sit down. It's not what you think." He said softly, obviously trying to soothe me.

I stopped my pacing and turned toward him. "What do you mean? Of course it's what I think. Which one of them told you?" I demanded. "It was my place to tell you, not theirs. I should have been the one!" My breathing was heavy now, and my heart was racing.

"Rose, none of our friends told me. I swear. Did you suddenly forget where you were last night? You were in a club full of Moroi. And you know, one of the Moroi's favorite pastimes is gossip. People talk, and being on duty, I overheard." I was shocked, I hadn't thought of that. I sat down as my breathing and heart slowed.

"Dimitri, I'm sorry. It's just," I was interrupted again.

"Rose, it's okay. I know you love him. What you and I had once was great. It was life altering. But you can't go through what we did and not have things change. I denied my feelings for you because I was afraid of what others would think of me. Adrian loved you unconditionally; he never backed down just because certain people didn't like the idea of him loving you. I was turned Strigoi and I tortured you. Adrian financed your mission to set me free, never once asking why. You and Lissa went to great lengths to bring me back, and when you did, I denied you every chance I got. I hurt you and lied to you, because of me. I didn't want to be reminded of the hell I put you through and what I had done. If I kept you away from me, I didn't have to deal with it. Adrian stood by you, no matter that you did everything to bring me back and make me see that I loved you. Things were bound to change. Adrian's a good man, Rose, and he deserves you. You deserve him. You are where you are destined to be. I can see that now. Adrian has sacrificed so much for you, and been patient while doing it. Granted, Adrian used to be a playboy, but you changed him. I'm glad you chose him."

I couldn't believe my ears. He was okay with this. "While all that is true, I don't want to lose you. You're still a _huge _and important piece of my life, as well as everyone else's." I said exasperated.

"You won't Roza. I am still here and will always be here. I don't plan on going anywhere. I am going to stick close to Lissa like I had planned, and I hope we can still train together. Give me some time to get used to this, but I promise, I will be here for you. I told you the other night, no matter your decision, you will have a friend for life, and I meant it. I still do. I have gained new friends thanks to you, and I will not turn my back on any of you." He laughed a little. "Not even Adrian." He paused. "And Adrian?" I was a little shocked that he was addressing him directly. "If you hurt her, even a little, I _will_ rip you limb from limb. Whatever Abe has promised to do to you in that circumstance, I promise you, you will welcome that to what I can and will do to you." I felt Lissa giggle through the bond.

I heard the leaves off to the left of us rustle, but no one stepped out. "How did you know? About Adrian and Lissa following me?" I asked.

"Because, if the situation were reversed, I would have done the same thing. They love you, they care about you. They wouldn't want you to have to go through this alone." I heard Lissa's voice. "Not just Rose, Dimitri, we care for and love you too!" He laughed at that. "Thank you Lissa." He said. "You're welcome, Dimka." I heard her respond, this time was further away. They were leaving.

Dimitri stood up. "That's the first time she has ever called me that. It felt good to hear it." He was smiling. I was glad things went the way they did.

He took my hand and pulled me into a tight hug. "You have become my best friend. I don't want to lose that connection. If you need a shoulder, I'll be here. I'll always love you." As he pulled away, I felt a peace sweep through me and radiate off of him. It was a peace I hadn't felt in a long time.

"There's one more thing I want to say Rose. I'm sorry. I am so sorry for always being so selfish. I never really thought about your feelings. I always thought about me. How everything affected me. I mean, don't get me wrong. I always thought I was doing what I thought was best for you, but I never asked you what you thought. I should have, and it was selfish of me not to do that. I just wanted you to know how sorry I am." He said while looking at the ground.

"Dimitri, it's okay. But I agree, it was pretty selfish. But, I forgive you. Now, you need to forgive yourself. You did what you thought was best, and no one can fault you for that. But you have to be the one to move forward and accept the forgiveness. No matter how much any of us may want to, we can't do it for you." I felt strongly about every word I just said.

"Thank you. You know something?" He said with a smile. "You are a badass guardian, thanks to me, and you are cocky, defiant, strong, and so self confidant. But you have the biggest and most forgiving heart of anyone I know. We are all so lucky to have you in our lives." As he said this I almost felt embarrassed. _Almost._

"I just say what I feel is all." That was the only response I could muster at the time.

"Come on. We need to get back. I'm sure Adrian and Lissa are waiting for you. And I need to call my mom." Dimitri said as we started walking back.

"Your mom? How is she? Have you told her about us yet?" I was kind of worried that she would hate me after this.

"She's good. And yes, I have kept her updated on our…um…situation. I told her I would call and tell her what happens." He must have sensed my tension as he said that. "Don't worry. They all still love you and they still will. _All_ of them. I promise!" He said that as I started to protest. How could they love me when I had broken their Dimka's heart? I figured they would surprise him when he told them I left him for someone else. He'll see that that love he spoke of will not be offered to me any longer.

"Well, regardless. Tell them all I am sorry." I said with my head down.

He reached over and put his hand to my chin, lifting my face so I as looking at him. "No need to be sorry Roza, you're following your heart. And when you do that, there is no wrong answer. I have to go. See you at breakfast before services?" He asked.

"Definitely. Thanks for understanding." I said quietly.

"Always." And with that he disappeared into his building. I walked back to my room and opened the door to find Lissa and Adrian sitting on my couch.

"Hey guys." I said as I threw my keys on the end table.

"So, how did it go?" Adrian asked, almost joking.

"You guys were there. You heard the majority of it. He already knew, gossip and all. And of course, I'm the heart of it…again." I said.

Adrian got up and walked over to me, enveloping me in his arms. "Yes, we did hear most of it, but, what about _you_? How are _you?" _ He said as he ran his fingers through my ponytail.

I pulled away and grabbed his hand. I entwined my fingers in his and spoke to both he and Lissa. "I'm fine. Really. I wasn't sure what to expect when I told him, and turns out I didn't have to, but I am quite shocked he took it so well. Relieved actually. I am glad I didn't loose him as my friend."

"You were worried about that? I know that if it had been me you didn't choose, I would have wanted you as my friend instead of nothing at all." Adrian said. He always seemed to make it make sense. If I hadn't really known him, I would have thought he was too good to be true. He almost was. But I did know him, well, and I did know better. He was just that sympathetic when it came to me.

"Adrian, I need to ask you something. I'm just curious. What were our auras like out there?" I asked.

"Well, yours was actually all over the place. About every color imaginable. You had some major feelings going on. Dimitri's was a bit different. There were lots of yellows, and oranges, with a little brown, green and gray. He had a lot going on too, but not like you. You were a bundle of emotions out there." He said trying to be reassuring.

Just then there was a knock on my door. I opened it up to Pavel. He handed me an envelope and said "Your father instructed me to give this to you." He bowed and walked away.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**Sorry it has taken so long to update. Not only have I had some writers block, but I also injured my hand last weekend and typing has been a bit of a problem. There isn't a whole lot of action in the next two chapters, but there is some information that needs to put out there. Thank you for reading, and I hope you are enjoying it.**

**Richelle Mead owns everything VA**

"He could have just called. Does he have to be so formal?" I said as I shut the door.

"Well, maybe after last night he wasn't sure where you would be or what you would be doing." Adrian said with a sly smile. I walked by him and gave him a teasing shove.

"Let's see what dear ole dad has to say." I said as I opened the envelope.

_Rose, _

_I hope you had a good time last night. I wanted to let you know that we will be meeting Monday at one in my office to begin discussion on the changes needed. I have arranged for you and your friends to have the day free. Please let them know as well. Also, please contact Eddie and Mia. I believe they can be of use as well. Also, have Lissa and Adrian take you shopping. The coronation is to be next Saturday._

_Love Always,_

_Dad_

"The coronation is a week from today? Isn't that a little soon? How am I supposed to find a dress, get it altered and be ready by Saturday? Plus work this week? Why can't I just wear my black and white's?" I was getting more and more annoyed as I thought about it.

"Rose, you are a princess now. You have to play the part. At least for the coronation." Lissa was saying as I turned my nose up at her. "Come on. Your _dad_ is going to be King. You're his quorum. You are the next oldest, which means you are an actual princess now. This coronation is not only for him, but you as well."

I was pacing at this point. I hated this. I was a guardian. I wasn't built to be a princess. Adrian grabbed my hand and spun me around. "Aw, honey, I would love to see you all dressed up formal like, and can you imagine me in a tux? I'm sure there won't be an eye on you; they will all be on me. Plus, just think of the scandal we'll cause when we walk in arm in arm." Then he dipped me and gave me a kiss.

"Now _that_ sounds like fun!" I said as he pulled me back up and spun me around again.

"I hate to cut this party short, but I have to go to the feeders." He nipped at my neck. "I haven't fed since yesterday morning and I used up a lot of energy last night…um…dancing. Coming Liss?"

"Dancing, yeah. No, I fed early this morning. You know, when you were _dancing_." Lissa responded while trying to suppress a laugh.

Adrian turned his gaze back to me. "How would you like to have dinner with me tonight? My place, eight o'clock?" He asked while nuzzling my neck just beneath my ear.

"Of course. I'll be there. Now go. I have phone calls to make and need some gossip time with Liss. I love you." I said.

"I love you too!" He disappeared out my door.

"Okay, I know what you want to know. We will talk about it later. First we need to make phone calls. You call Mia and Jill, and I'll call Eddie and Dimitri" I said. I could feel through the bond that she wanted to know about last night.

We both got lucky. Jill was at Mia's practicing water and combat, and Dimitri had just run into Eddie while Eddie was patrolling. We told them about the meeting and hung up.

"SO," Lissa began. "Tell me everything. Is he as talented as all the gossip says? Was it awesome?" She was like a little girl on her birthday. This kind of thing just doesn't happen to Dhampir's. It was something new and scandalous.

"Liss, I don't know about the gossip, I try not to listen to it, seeing as he is my boyfriend, but it was better than awesome. Adrian made me feel things I never knew possible, I'm not going to go into all the sordid details, but god, he is amazing." I sat there in a daze as I told her.

"I'm so happy for you. You deserve to be happy. I can see the love you have for him just radiating off you." She looked at her watch. "Oh, I gotta go. I promised Christian I would meet him for an early dinner, movies, and you know, just hang out."

"Yeah, hang out. Is that what they're calling it now a days?" I laughed as she walked towards the door.

"Ha Ha. I'll see you in the morning. Have fun tonight. Love ya." She walked out the door.

I took a short nap. When I woke up, I got a shower trying to relax. The hot water soothed my muscles; they weren't really sore, just tense. I got done and went to my closet, deciding on my short black halter dress and black sandals. I left my hair down with some slight waves, and only put on a little makeup, but I did apply my red lipstick. I wanted to look sexy, but not sluttish.

I walked across Court quickly and got to Adrian's with five minutes to spare, so I went strait to his apartment. As I came around the corner, I saw his father, Nathan, coming out of Adrian's place. _What is he doing here? They don't get along very well._ I thought as I ducked out of the way so he wouldn't see me. When he passed I went to Adrian's door and knocked. After a few seconds Adrian finally opened the door. He looked up at me and I instantly knew something was wrong. Not only did he not notice my outfit, but also he had tears in his eyes. I had never seen that from him before. "WHAT HAPPENED?" I demanded when I noticed his face. I put a hand on his cheek and he reached up and grabbed it. He closed his eyes and just shook is head. "What did your father _do_?" He opened the door completely and what I saw made me want to kill someone.

I could see where Adrian had set a table for two in the middle of his living room. It looked like he had a red table cloth over it with two plates of food, and I assumed a candle in the middle. It also appeared as though he had rose petals scattered around everywhere. I'm not 100% sure, but it also looked like it was Chinese food he had ordered. But, the table was turned over, and the cloth was ripped. The plates had obviously had the food on them already, but the food was now splattered all over the walls, and broken china lay on the floor.

I balled my hands into fists as I walked all the way through the door. "Why?" I hissed.

"Rose, I am so sorry." Adrian whispered.

"What are _you_ sorry for? _You_ didn't do anything!"

"I know, but I wanted tonight to be special for you, and I didn't want you to see this." He said as a tear ran down his cheek.

"Tell me why he did this." I said as I walked around him and started setting things back up and cleaning. If I didn't keep moving, I would chase Nathan down and beat the hell out of him for this.

"Well, he came over and said he wanted to talk to me about us. I told him not tonight and he pushed his way in. He asked me how long I was planning on keeping this charade going. That he was not going to have a son that was committed to a Dhampir. I told him I loved you, and that would never change. I told him that Aunt Tatiana had given us her blessing. He called me a liar and yelled that no son of his would talk to him like that. So I told him he was no longer my father. He went crazy. Started throwing things, smashing things, all the while shouting that I was to end things with you, and do it tonight, and then I was going to move back home. I yelled no, that I wouldn't do it, and he straitened up slowly, and then turned around and punched me." He rubbed his eye. "Man, I'm gonna have a nice black eye in the morning." Coming back to his thoughts he said, "Then he left. Oh God, Rose, I am so sorry." He grabbed me and pulled me into his chest.

Trying to lighten the mood I said, "Well, look at this way. We get to relive the first time we met. However, now you have the black eye." I reached up and touched the bruise that was now starting to form and he flinched. "Sorry, let me get you some ice. Sit down and relax."

I walked into the kitchen and got some ice and wrapped it in a towel. I took it in to him and he had lain back on the couch and had his arm pulled up over his eyes. I sat on the edge of the couch and took his arm and rested it on my legs. I put the ice gently on his eye. He brought his hand up and held it in place. I looked down at him and whispered, "I will take care of this. I promise."

"I know you will. I would say to leave it alone, but I know that would do no good." He said.

He reached up and ran his hand through my hair. "You look beautiful tonight. Want to go out to eat?" He asked.

"No, lets order in. Regardless of the mess I'd like to stay here. How about pizza?"

"Sounds good." He took the ice off his eye and sat up. "How do I look?"

"Sexy. As always." I leaned over and kissed him. I took my phone out and backed away. "Here, order the pizza and I'll be right back." Giving him another quick kiss, I disappeared going into the bathroom.

On my way, I went into his bedroom. Thank God his father hadn't come back here. There were candles everywhere waiting to be lit and hundreds of rose petals scattered on the bed. He had placed a beautiful single deep red rose in the middle of the pillows. The sight of it took my breath away.

I went to the closet and pulled out one of his white button up dress shirts. I went into the bathroom and undressed, leaving my underwear on, and put the shirt on. Looking in the mirror I had to admit, I looked good. I hoped he would agree.

I walked back out and he was still lying on the couch with the ice over his eye and the other eye was closed. "I hope you don't mind, but I decided to change into something more comfortable."

"I hope it's nothing." He said as a smile spread across his face. He opened his eyes and slowly removed the ice from his eye. "You do look hot, but you ruined the surprise by going into my room, you know."

"I know, and it is beautiful. Did you order the pizza?"

"Just like my Rose, always thinking about food. Yes, it is ordered. Now come here." He sat up and held a hand out to me.

I went to him and sat down. He moved my hair to one side of my neck and kissed the other side. He knew what that did to me. "Adrian, you should stop. Pizza will be here soon, and we need to get this place cleaned up."

"Leave the room until tomorrow. I need to get pictures anyway. Mom will never believe me without them. And I can stop long enough to pay the pizza guy." He continued leaving a trail of soft kisses down my neck to the opening of the shirt.

The pizza came and we ate. After we were done, we walked back to the bedroom and lay down together. "Little Dhampir," he ran his fingers down the side of my face, and then rested them on the side of my neck. "I love you, so much, and I don't want to disappoint you, but I am so tired, and my eye hurts. Can I just hold you tonight?"

"Yes my love. I would like nothing more. I love you." I said smiling.

"I love you too." And we drifted off to sleep in each others arms.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**Disclaimer: All VA belongs to Richelle Mead**

**I hope you are enjoying my take on the series. I am enjoying writing this. Thank you for all the positive reviews you have been sending my way.**

**Since this is my first fanfic, I am grateful for everything you have said.**

**This chapter does have another love scene with Rose and Adrian. Just a warning. Again, thank you for reading and don't forget to review.**

I woke up, a little earlier than I expected, to small kisses being trailed down my neck. "Mmm, that feels good." I said in barely a whisper. A hand slid around me and cupped my breast through my shirt. "How long have you been awake?" I asked through my smile.

"Just a few seconds, and I couldn't help myself, I needed to taste you." He breathed against my neck. His breath sent chills down my spine. I felt him press his body up against me. I rolled over and looked in his beautiful green eyes. "Good morning gorgeous." Just then he pressed his lips gently to mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and ran my fingers through his silky brown hair. I pulled him closer and deepened our kiss. I ran my tongue along his bottom lip and he gladly allowed entrance. It felt as though a slow burn had started at my heart and was threatening to consume me.

Adrian brought his hands up and began unbuttoning my shirt one button at a time, trailing kisses along where the buttons had been. His lips were so soft. He worked his way back up and brushed my hair from my face. "You are absolutely beautiful. How did I get so lucky?" He said in a quiet voice.

He brought his lips down to mine, once again gently. I ran my hands down his back and began removing his boxers. The feel of his skin on my hands sent shock waves up my arms. He ran his hand down my side and rested on my hip. He wrapped his finger inside the edge of my panties and began pulling them down. He trailed light kisses all the way down my torso as he removed them completely. He kissed my thighs sending shivers through my body.

I felt his fingers and tongue exploring me, and oh God, was he good. "Adrian, I want you." I breathed out in a needy sigh. I grabbed the side of his head and pulled him back to my lips. He reached over to the bedside table and got a condom. We continued kissing while he put it on. Very slowly he entered me. We both let out a moan as the sensation took over us. Unlike the first time, this was slow and gentle. It wasn't just need, it was love. We explored each other's bodies and his hands were experts. "Oh Adrian." I sighed.

"You have no idea what it does to me when you say my name like that." He said. I was pretty sure I had somewhat of an idea.

My body was beginning to move a little faster and harder. That burn was now affecting every nerve in my body. Adrian was moving faster, eyes shut, and looked absolutely beautiful. He leaned down and took my nipple in his mouth, flicking it with his tongue, and gave it a little nip with his teeth. I expertly took him and flipped him over onto his back, breaking all contact for a few moments. I slowly straddled him as he guided himself back in me. The sensation made my whole body quiver. He brought both his hands up cupping my breast and massaging them. I began rocking back and forth faster, keeping him deep inside as my head dropped back. "Oh Rose." He moaned.

My body started to shake and he grabbed my head and brought it down fast and furious to his lips. He kissed me fiercely as my body shook with ecstasy. He flipped me over and began thrusting vigorously. I heard a growl escape his lips as his orgasm took control of his body. He collapsed next to me and pulled me tightly to his body. "I don't think I'll ever get used to the way you make me feel. It should be illegal to be this happy." He whispered.

I pulled back a little and looked into his eyes. I raised my hand and touched the eye that was now almost swollen shut and deep black and purple. "I am glad that I make you feel like that. You make me feel like a princess."

"You are."

"Adrian, I would do anything for you. I hate seeing you hurt, physically and emotionally. What can I do to make this better?" I asked him, referring to the confrontation with his father.

"Just be here Rose. No matter what, I will not turn my back on you. All I need in this world is you."

"I can do one more thing. Would you like me to call Lissa and have her heal your eye? I know it hurts." I offered.

"No, not yet. I want my mom to see what that man is capable of. I want her to understand why I am leaving the family. Nathan probably figured I was so vain that I would have Lissa heal me before anyone could see it, that way there wouldn't be proof of what he had done. But I'll wait. Maybe after services. Now Little Dhampir, close your eyes and go back to sleep. We still have a few hours before we have to get ready for church."

We woke up and Adrian got ready for church. I had to go back to my place and change clothes, so I told him I would meet him at the diner. I decided on a long black skirt and blue fitted button up shirt. I went to get Jill and headed to the diner. Everyone was there except for Adrian. "Where's Adrian, Rose?" Lissa asked. "And, how was dinner last night?"

"I'll let him tell you when he gets here. You know him, always needs to" just then the door swung open and in walked Adrian. "make and entrance." I finished, rolling my eyes and smirking.

Surprisingly, Dimitri was the first to notice Adrian's eye. "Dude, who hit you? You okay?"

"Yeah, fine. My dad hit me. He has issues with my…uh…choices." Adrian was trying to be respectful of Dimitri, but they all had a right to know. We were all friends.

"Lord Ivashkov doesn't agree with Adrian choosing to be serious with me. He hit him when Adrian told him he wouldn't give me up." I said. Adrian walked over and kissed the top of my head and sat down.

"What are you going to do?" Dimitri asked.

"I'm just going to tell my mom, she deserves to know why I am turning my back on the family. I can't be a part of a family that can't or won't accept my choices." Adrian explained. "Liss, can you heal my eye after services? It's _killing_ me." We all laughed. Moroi didn't handle pain very well, and Adrian was no exception. I knew it was really painful for him.

"Well, regardless of our past tribulations, I will help you with what ever you need." Dimitri offered. He patted Adrian on the shoulder and returned to his seat.

We finished our breakfast laughing and talking, breaking Jill into the morning ritual. Jill seemed to really enjoy herself and everyone was really impressed with her. She and Mia discussed what they had been doing with water and it sounded like they were making a lot of progress. They also had been learning a lot of combat moves from some of Mia's guardian friends, as well as Eddie. We also talked about Oksana and Mark. Adrian and Lissa were really excited to begin working with Oksana, and I was ready to begin with Mark. Dimitri gave them some background on Oksana, how long he had known her, what she was like personally and stuff like that. I was still curious how Abe knew them. I would have to ask. Adrian and I were having lunch with them today.

We made it to the church, and wouldn't you know it, Adrian's parents were standing outside. I looked up at Adrian and he leaned down and kissed my cheek and whispered, "Just ignore them. We will talk to them afterward." He squeezed my hand tighter as we got closer.

His mother came running up and grabbed his face. "Adrian, baby, what happened?" She had almost a frantic tone in her voice. It was no surprise though. Against the pale Moroi skin, his black eye did stand out.

She was trying to touch his eye; he was moving his head trying to get away. He raised his hands and pushed her to the side. "MOM, STOP! We will talk about it later. Okay?"

She had a defeated look on her face, and looked back up with pleading eyes. Just then a voice from behind us rang out. "Adrian? Is everything okay?" It was Dimitri.

"Yeah man, thanks. I just want to go inside. Come one Rose." The three of us walked in together. As we passed Nathan, Adrian looked ahead, but Dimitri spoke. "Aren't you at all concerned about your son?" Adrian reached back and grabbed Dimitri's arm. "Come on Dimka. Let's go inside and get a seat."

The church service seemed to fly by. I was in between Adrian and Dimitri and I kept thinking about what had happened outside. If someone didn't know them, you would think these two were friends. Maybe it would all work out after all. Lissa, Christian and Jill went to sit with Tasha, and Eddie and Mia came to sit with us.

Adrian excused himself a few minutes before the service was over. The rest of us decided to wait for Lissa, Christian and Jill. I figured Adrian had gone to have a cigarette. He was pretty keyed up during service. He couldn't sit still. As we got closer to the open doors, I could hear yelling.

"Adrian, how can you say that? You are my son." It was his mother.

"Mom, I will not let that man dictate my life. He had no right to come into my home and do what he did!" Nathan was standing a few feet away just watching. Bastard.

"Baby, listen to me. He's worried about you. About your reputation, our reputation. What are you going to do when she leaves you? You know she has no plans to build a life with you, and you deserve so much better than a _Dhampir_. You know this isn't right." Dimitri and Eddie had a hold of me. I thought she liked me.

"Mom, I can't believe you. You agree with _him_? I _love_ her. No questions asked. If she _were _to leave me, I would be a better man for having her love me, and allowing me to love her, for what ever time was given."

"But, Adrian, she's a _Dhampir_. You're a Royal! Nothing will ever change that." She said it like it was a dirty word. "She is not here for a long-term relationship. And you need to carry on the bloodline." God, was that all she was worried about?

"Well, she is a Royal too. And I will be carrying on the bloodline. MINE! I'm done Mom. I can't be a part of this anymore. You're just as bad as _him._" He said motioning towards his father. "You deserve each other."

At that point I walked up and took his hand in mine and we walked away. His mother tried to stop us and Dimitri stopped and turned around, "Lady Ivashkov, I respectfully ask you to let them go. You heard what he said. Please."

"And who do you think you are? You aren't his guardian." Nathan piped up finally.

"No, I am not, but if he asked, I would be. But I am also his friend, and I believe you should honor his wishes." And with that he ran to catch up with us. I looked up at Adrian and saw a smile spread slowly over his face.

"Thanks Dimitri. You didn't have to do or say that."

"I know, but I meant every word of it." Dimitri replied.

"Thanks Comrade." I said.

"Dimitri, we are headed to have lunch with Oksana and Mark. Would you like to join us?" I was surprised that Adrian would make that offer.

"No, but thanks. You and Rose go and enjoy lunch. I have some things to discuss with Abe anyway." He said. "And Adrian? Call me Dimka, of you want."

We walked away and I was in total shock. I just wasn't sure what to make of Dimitri's attitude towards Adrian, but I knew that he wouldn't say things unless he meant them.

"Hey, I want to change clothes before we go. Meet you at your building in thirty minutes?" I asked.

"Yeah, Lissa will be there in like ten anyway to heal my eye. See you in thirty." He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss then turned and ran off towards his building.

I got to my room and decided to put on a pair of dark jeans, a white t-shirt with a care bear, grumpy, on it and my black hi-tops.

As I was tying my shoes I felt the tell tale heat and happiness through the bond I usually felt when Lissa did a healing. She was healing Adrian's eye. I stood up and took off towards Adrian's.

Lissa was just leaving when I arrived. She was meeting Christian and Jill at Tasha's for lunch. "I healed Adrian's eye, so he's good to go. Have a good lunch. I gotta go. Love ya!" She turned to go.

"Love ya too." I replied.

Adrian came out the door in his Armani jeans and a black pullover that had one big white stripe across the center. He looked good as always. "Let's go." He said as he took my hand and led me across Court.

We got to Oksana and Mark's. They were in the kitchen finishing up. It was funny to watch Adrian's expression as he watched them navigate around each other without any words. "It's because they are bonded." I said to him. "That's what Mark and I will be working on together."

They brought the food to the table and sat down. They had made chicken enchiladas, Spanish rice and salad. "I hope you don't mind Mexican food." Oksana said.

"Definitely. Looks delicious." Adrian replied with a smile on his face.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**The coronation dresses for Rose, Lissa, and Jill are listed on my profile page if you would like to see them. I hope you are enjoying this. Thank you again for all the reviews. **

**Richelle Mead owns all VA

* * *

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We are pretty much in silent. The food was so good. All of a sudden Adrian said something that made me laugh. "What on earth was _that_?" I gave him a puzzled look. I knew from the look on Oksana's face what had happened. I saw her stifle a laugh.

"What was what Adrian? I didn't notice anything." I said with a small smile.

"It felt like there was something flying around in my head." He looked up at Oksana. "Did you do _that_?" He asked with a little smile.

"Yes. I did. I don't like doing it to people. It's not right. But I needed to show you some of what I can do. I call it mind brushing. I can read your thoughts. That is why I don't like to do it. It's something I only do with Mark. Usually." She looked over at me with a little smile. She had done it to me while I was in Russia, and had helped me help Lissa with the Avery situation.

"Wow. I wonder if Lissa and I can learn that." He said.

"Adrian, it's not something to just do to get information out of people. It is invasive. If you can pick it up, it should only be used in emergencies like I did with Rose. I use it with Mark because we are bonded. Without a bond mate it should not be used." Oksana continued. She had explained how she felt about using it. I could see how in the wrong hands it could be abused. It could be very dangerous, just like compulsion.

"I understand. I am just happy that there is someone here now that can help Lissa and I make sense of these powers and help us learn more. And what are the odds that Rose would find another bonded pair? You two will be such a huge help for her and Lissa as well. " Adrian sounded really excited.

"Adrian, spirit is like any other element, only stronger. But, different people will wield different abilities. You may never be able to brush minds, and Lissa may never be able to walk dreams like you. But we will work on it. One thing I want to do is teach and help the two of you to make and use charms. Putting spirit into objects can be difficult, but there are so many things you can do with charmed objects. There is still so much about spirit that is unknown, so it will be a learning experience for all of us."

We had finished our lunch and I had helped Mark clear the table. Oksana and Adrian were still talking so Mark and I walked outside to his garden.

"I'll bet you're happy to have a garden here." I said to Mark.

"Yes, very. It helps being away from home. I wanted to ask you something. What is it that _you_ wish to learn from me?"

"The first thing I want to learn is about taking the darkness from Lissa and her healing it out of me. We still haven't mastered that. The darkness takes it's toll on me, I get so angry. I'm just confused though, because when she heals she uses spirit and in my mind it would just be a constant circle." I was trying to explain it the best I could, but I didn't think it was coming out the right way.

"Well, that's what we will work on. The charms help with it a lot. It'll all be okay. And I'd like to work on making the bond between you work both ways. There are ways to do it, but you both have to be open to it." Mark said.

Adrian appeared at the door just then. "Rose, we should get going. We need to meet up with Lissa. She just called and said she wants to go shopping and we probably won't have much time to do that this week."

"Oh, yeah, dresses. UGH! Okay." We gave hugs and said out thank you's and goodbyes.

We had walked a little ways, and I heard Lissa through the bond. _Hurry up Rose. We need to leave if we want to get to the mall and still have time to watch movies._ I had forgotten about her plans with Christian.

We rounded the corner and saw Lissa, Dimitri, Christian, James, Christian's guardian, Pavel, Jill and another guardian, Sasha. I looked up at Adrian. "You're coming, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I'm just not sure where my guardian is." He said looking around.

Pavel came up and said, "I am your guardian today. The last guardian is getting the car. Dimitri is assigned to Lissa, James to Christian, Sasha to Jill, and the last one is for Rose."

"I don't need a guardian. I _am_ a guardian!" I said, not too happy about that.

"Take it up with your father, _Princess_." He made that last word the reason for the guardian.

When the van pulled up, the driver got out and I saw it was Mikhail. "Am I okay?" he asked.

"Mikhail, yes. I'm glad it's you." I gave him a hug. I was glad it was him and not some random guardian. At least I knew him. Plus, I hoped it meant that Hans saw that despite Mikhail's past he still had potential.

We got to the mall and started shopping. The guys all went their own way, probably to go find tuxes, and we went to find our dresses. We went into one of our favorite dress shops. After going through rack after rack, Jill found a cute strapless light pink, short dress that had crystals sewn all over and a simple mauve bow around the middle. It looked really good on her. Lissa picked out a floor length purple strapless gown that had a white stripe that ran diagonally from one breast to the waist and then crossed the front down her thigh and wrapped around the back. It had some sparkles outlining the stripe. My dress was different than what I usually picked out. I decided I would do the whole formal thing. It was floor length with a full skirt. It was strapless and hugged my chest and stomach just right. The chest of the dress was pleated all the way across with a thin bow just beneath. The bodice was fitted with silver and bronze sequins in a regal looking design. The skirt was bunched up at the bottom, and it was in a beautiful shade of brown.

It was gorgeous.

We decided to try to find some silver jewelry also. Not only did it go with all our dresses, but also Lissa wanted to get some for charms.

We ended up shopping longer than we had planned and noticed it was getting close to lunchtime for the human world. That meant it was late for our world. Adrian called to say they would meet us in the food court. The guys had their tuxes and we had our dresses and jewelry, so we were ready to go. We loaded up in the van and took off back to Court.

All the way back Adrian wanted to see my dress. "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours." He teased.

"I don't think so. You'll just have to wait like everyone else. You'll see it Saturday night when you pick me up." I said back.

It was getting late and I needed to get some sleep. "Hey, I'm going to head back to my room and get some sleep. Think you can make it one night without me?" I asked.

He dramatically grabbed his heart and acted like he was fainting. "Oh, how will I ever go on?" He touched my face gently. "As much as I want to have you next to me every night, I think I will be okay."

I leaned up and wrapped my free arm around his neck. (I was carrying my dress bag in the other arm.) I stopped with my lips just inches away from his. "I love you Adrian." I whispered, and went to pull away with a smile on my face. I loved to tease him. He grabbed my head and pulled me to him and crashed his lips to mine. Heat coursed through both of us. He pulled a little away and whispered against my lips, "I love you too Little Dhampir." With that we headed off in opposite directions.

I woke up about ten o'clock and decided to go for a quick run. It had been a few days since I had run, so I headed for the track. As I was stretching I saw Dimitri had had the same idea. "Hey Comrade." I said as he approached. "Hey Roza." I was glad he hadn't given up on my nickname.

"I got the chance to talk to Adrian some yesterday. He seems like a pretty good guy. But I'm a little worried about him." Dimitri said.

"What do you mean?" I said as we began to run.

"Well, this thing with his family. It's really gotten him worked up. I feel like I should do something. Nathan Ivashkov is a bad enemy to have, Rose."

"I know. But Abe Mazur is a worse enemy to have." I said with a smirk. "I really just want to go over there and punch him in the face and show him how it feels."

"Well, before you do that, let me talk to Abe. There may be another way to deal with him. A safer way. Adrian is planning to petition the council to be a separate entity from his parents. Maybe violence isn't the answer just yet." Unfortunately Dimitri knew my temper and self-control ran along a very thin line.

We finished our laps and went our separate ways. I got a shower and got dressed and headed towards Abe's office. When I got there Adrian was already there talking with Abe. I figured it was about the separation. Soon everyone else started arriving. Christian and Lissa, then Jill and Dimitri, then Tasha, Eddie, Mia and finally Oksana and Mark. I didn't realize that Tasha, Oksana, and Mark were a part of this. But knowing my father he already had a plan.

Lissa and I were huddled in a corner talking when Adrian walked over. "You ladies ready to go? The soon to be King is ready for us." I looped my arm in his and we all walked into the office.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**I hope you are still enjoying my story. Here is my next chapter.**

**Richelle Mead owns everything VA

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We all took our seats. It was Adrian, Dimitri, Lissa, Christian, Tasha, Eddie, Mia, Jill, Oksana, Mark, some guardians and me. I knew some of the guardians, but others I noticed were from the royal guard.

"Well, I trust you all had an enjoyable weekend? Now, it is time to get down to business. I would like to tell you of some of my plans. It will eventually involve each of you.

"My coronation is scheduled for Saturday and I would like to have some proposals in writing to present to the council the following week. I have already spoken to some of the council members and if you all agree, we should be able to get started as soon as the end of next week." The door behind us opened and Abe took a breath. Ambrose walked in with a tray of drinks.

"Would anyone like some drinks?" Ambrose asked as he walked around the table. "Hello Rose. I hope what Abe is about to suggest sits well with you. I have talked to him about it and it sounds very promising." He said as he sat a soda in front of me and proceeded to Lissa. He dispensed the rest of the drinks without another word.

Abe stood back up. "There are a lot of us, Moroi and Dhampir, that do not agree with the new age law for guardians. There is not a way to change the law right away, but I have an idea. I would like to add something on to it. I would like to petition that this year sixteen year old graduates come to Court and train for two weeks. Show the council and us what they have learned as far as combat goes. My suggestion is that when they come they are to train with Guardian Belikov and Rose. You are the best, and you two are the backbone of the councils reasoning to passing the law. If we, you, can prove these children are not ready, we have a bigger chance of reversing the law. Do you agree?"

"Dad, are you sure about this? Dimitri and I had a unique relationship. We worked well together." I said. I wasn't sure if this was the best way to proceed.

"Yes, but he taught you discipline. You both know what to look for, and you both can demonstrate that these kids are not ready. Not without extra training." Abe defended his thoughts. And as much as I hated the thought, he had a point.

Dimitri spoke up next. "I think Abe has a good idea Rose. We can do this. With my experiences as Strigoi," he closed his eyes and took a breath. "And your experience, and we both have the discipline to do it, we could show these people that they are not ready to protect them. The only thing Abe, is that there are so many students around the world, we can't do it all at once."

"Well, I thought about that. My thought was to have each school send their students to us for a two-week trial. Every two weeks another school will send their students. I know it's a lot of work, but in the end it will be worth it." Abe suggested.

"I think it sounds like it could work. I am willing if Rose is willing." Dimitri sat down.

"I'm willing. I just hope I can live up to what you expect." I said. I just wasn't sure. All those kills I made, I had a reason. These graduates won't have that drive. But maybe that's what it will take to make these people realize that this age decree won't work.

"Okay, we will begin construction on a new housing dorm for those students and a new state of the art gym for these trainings. Now, onto my next suggestion. For this, I would like to bring Lady Ozera to the front." Abe sat down.

Tasha went to the front. "You all know that I am fighting for Moroi and Dhampir to stand together against out enemy. It will strengthen our races and our defenses. As part of Abe's plan, I am going to be starting a defense class for all fire users here at Court. I would like to find water, air and earth users as well to stand with me. I want to teach those that are willing to learn to use their powers to help the guardians against our enemies. It will be strictly voluntary, but I believe it is necessary. We can use our magic defensively, and learn some combat so we are better protected. Christian and I will be teaching fire. I am hoping Mia would be willing to take on the water users, and all we need to do is find someone for air and earth to join us. We can be a strong race again, both Moroi and Dhampir." She was always so good at this type of speaking.

Eddie stood up next. "If I may, I would like to volunteer to help train Moroi in defensive and offensive moves. If there is any other guardian or Dhampir willing to join me, I would greatly appreciate it." He looked over at Ambrose, who was still standing by the door. I hadn't noticed he was still in the room.

He stepped forward and said, "If I may, I would like to help Guardian Castile. I never graduated, but I do have the training. And it would be a privilege to be a part of this movement. I owe it to Tatiana." Ambrose said her name with such feeling. He really did love her.

Abe stood up. "Very well. We are on our way to making this work."

Ambrose raised his hand. "Also, my aunt Rhonda is an air user. I can speak to her and see if she would be willing to help." He stepped back. Tasha looked up and nodded. "Thank you Ambrose. That would be greatly appreciated."

"We are also sending out word to Moroi communities, as well as schools to check Moroi, Royal or non, to see who has not specialized at the age of sixteen. We will be asking to have them sent here to meet with Oksana, Adrian and Lissa. We are searching for more spirit users. If we can bring them here and work with them we will hopefully build a defense unlike anything we have ever seen before." Abe had thought of everything. He really had been busy this weekend.

"So along with the new dorm and gym, there will be five floors added above the gym. One floor for each element. I am also going to have a new apartment building built. It will be the faculty housing. Each of you a long with whomever else is willing to work with us will be living in these apartments will all be helping me design them. This is a new era we are entering. We will be strong once again." Abe finished. "Now, is there anything any of you would like to discuss?"

Adrian stood up. "I would like to ask what your plans are to unite the Moroi and Dhampir races. There are still plenty of Moroi that look down on Dhampir's."

"There will always be those that do not see us as equals. But, with the trainings and a new era, hopefully the majority will see we are equal. That we all deserve the same things. It will be a hard road, and a long one. But those of us here must unite, and stay strong. We must show the nonbelievers that only good can come from this unity. I have no actual plan, but we will work on it. I have learned through the years that you cannot influence all those people, but you do influence some along the way and things can work out." Abe responded.

Looking around you could see hope in everyone's faces. Even the guardians that stood around the room seemed to agree. It was time for change. And we were the ones who had been given the task. We were all strong, and we were stronger together. Over the last few years we had all proven that. We were strong enough to stand together and fight for this.

"If there is nothing else, we are done. Go and enjoy your day. Tomorrow we go back to our normal routine. Rose, Adrian, Dimitri, could you stay so I could talk to you in private?"

Everyone got up and headed towards the door. Lissa came up to me. "Rose, this is so exciting. Abe's ideas are great. This is sure to change things. Just think of all we will be able to do!" She was really excited about all this. I could feel the hope and excitement coming so strong through the bond.

"Yeah, Liss. This will be great." I said. I was excited too, but I was curious as to what my father wanted with the guys and me. "Hey, we will get together later. I have to get back to Abe. Love ya Liss." I said.

"Love ya too Rose." She, Christian, Jill and Tasha walked away.

I walked back in and Adrian and Dimitri were sitting at the table having what looked like a pretty intense, but friendly, conversation. I couldn't hear what was being said, and they stopped as I approached.

"Little Dhampir." Adrian said while pulling out a chair for me. "So what do you think of all this?" I shrugged not real sure how to answer that.

"It's a lot to take in. I wonder what Abe wants with us?" I said hoping to change the subject. Just then Abe joined us again.

"Rose, Adrian, Dimitri. I wanted to discuss a few things. First off, I am curious how things have been between the three of you? I mean, I know that you, Rose, had a pretty tough decision to make and I want to know how you guys are dealing with it." His focus went to Dimitri.

"Well, it's not the easiest thing, but it's good. We are still friends. I'll always love her, but in a different way than Adrian does. They belong together and he makes her happy. I know that, and what more could I ask for?" Dimitri responded.

"Good. Now, will there be any problems with you and Dimitri training together?" Abe was apparently addressing me, but Adrian spoke up.

"I would think they would be the best together. They have trained together and fought against each other. And they are the most qualified for this."

"We will be fine. Actually, we are a perfect match for this. And, not to sound conceited, but no one can match either one of us when it comes to skill. It will be fine." I said.

"Well, then Rose, what would say if I assigned Dimitri to be Adrian's guardian?" Abe asked.

"I thought Dimitri was Lissa's guardian." I was a little confused.

"I am, but here at Court Lissa doesn't need me much. And with Adrian's plans, as well as the altercation yesterday and physical threat from his father, he needs protection and I would like to help. Besides, you have issues with his parents as well, so he needs someone who is not personally involved." Dimitri continued. "I cleared it with Lissa already and she agreed. She has you and Sasha. But we, Adrian and I, said we would only do it if you were 100% alright with it."

"This is a bit surprising, but yeah. I thing it's a good idea." I was still a little confused. I would think they would both be a little uncomfortable with this, but if they can deal with it, I guess I could too.

"Okay, that's settled. Adrian, your plea to the council will be next Wednesday. Please be ready." Abe finished.

"Thank you Abe. I will be." Adrian responded.

"What plea?" I asked.

"The plea where I ask to be removed from my family and become my own entity. It will take me out of being a Royal, I won't be a lord anymore, but I still have Aunt Tatiana's assets, and of course you. You're my ticket to Royalty now." He said laughing. "I am also going to petition to try to get Nathan's Lord status revoked for actions unbecoming a Royal. Abe's helping."

Well, I guess there was a way to punish Nathan and Daniella without getting violent. "So, if that doesn't work, does that mean I get to beat the hell out of him?" I said with a smile.

"We'll see." Said Adrian as he leaned over and kissed my cheek.

"Well, why don't we end this? Dimitri, you will be moving into the apartment across from Adrian. At least until the new ones are built. See you all later." Abe got up and we walked out.

Well, this should be interesting to say the least.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**Thank you for all the reviews. I am glad that you are all enjoying this story. I know it is slow going right now, but there's some more with Adrian and his parents and some other filler to help me fill the gap between now and the coronation. But still, thank you again. Please review. I would love to get more than they few I have gotten.

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We all went back to Adrian's except for Dimitri, who said he had to go get started on his packing. I was still a little confused about Dimitri being Adrian's guardian. I suppose it would be okay, it's not like he will be living in Adrian's apartment. We will still have time alone. I just wasn't sure I would like it.

The next few days went along without incident. Adrian and Lissa had started working with Oksana and Dimitri and I had been training when we weren't on patrol. We had been sparring a lot and we still seemed to match each other just like we used to. He had been my mentor so we knew each other's moves well. He was still Strigoi fast though, and that would throw me off, but even with that, there were times I could get the upper hand. Eddie and Ambrose had been coming by also to train with us. Ambrose wasn't as refined as Eddie, Dimitri and I but he had some good skills to build on. We were all looking forward to being able to prove to the Royal council that sixteen year olds aren't ready to go into the world. We were planning on doing this like the trials at the schools. Everyone was in for a big shock as far as I was concerned.

With all the training I was doing, my shifts on patrols and the time Adrian was spending with Oksana, none of us had had much time to hang out. We decided that we would have a movie night at Adrian's tonight.

We all met there at seven and Christian made spaghetti. It was the normal bunch. We decided to watch Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End. We had seen it numerous times, but we all loved it and it was just perfect. Some love for the girls and some action for the guys.

I was so tired that I fell asleep half way through the movie. I woke up to Adrian carrying me back to his bedroom. "Oh, Adrian, I am so sorry. I wanted to spend some time with you tonight. We've barely seen each other this week."

"It's okay Little Dhampir. Don't worry about it. It's been a long week for all of us. Just lie down and go back to sleep."

"I will but I have to get up early. Lissa and I are having our dresses altered tomorrow at her place." I yawned.

"Don't worry. Lissa got your dress and it is at Dimitri's. You're going to have the alterations done there. And she brought some clean clothes here so you can shower here in the morning." They thought of everything.

I pulled off my pants, shirt and bra and put on the tank top Adrian had given me. I crawled under the covers and closed my eyes. Adrian crawled in next to me and I rolled over and wrapped my arms around his waist. I put my head under his chin and began kissing his throat. Suddenly I wasn't that tired anymore.

"Little Dhampir…Mmmm…don't start something you may not be able to finish." My hands had traveled down to his hips and rested on the band of his boxers. He put a hand under my chin and turned my face up towards his. He gently kissed my lips. I licked my tongue across his lips and he gave it a quick nip. I pulled his body closer to mine and I heard a growl start in his throat. We had not been together much in the last four days. "I've missed you." I whispered against his lips.

His hands were in my hair and his lips traveled to my neck, but he kept his fangs away from my skin. I knew he wanted to taste my blood again, but he would wait until I was ready for that again. And I knew I wasn't ready. However, I wanted him, I needed him, and I knew he felt the same way.

I rolled over on my back pulling him along with me. He got the tank top off and removed my panties slowly. Kissing my legs as he went. He trailed a finger back up my leg leaving a trail of fire behind. I pulled his boxers off and after he put the condom on we began to make love. His kisses were causing the burn to smolder. His hands were causing a fire to spread all through my body. He was utter perfection. I completely lost myself in him, in that moment. "Oh Rose, I love you so much." He let out a moan. I knew he was close. I was on the edge. I pulled my leg up and wrapped it around his waist pulling him in deeper. He was still moving at a slow but serious pace, and I could feel every sensation. All of a sudden I felt the fire consume me. "Adrian!" I couldn't help but say his name. As soon as I did, he growled and the fire I felt consumed him as well. He kissed my neck and collarbone as we both came down from the high. He leaned up and kissed me gently on the lips.

"I thought you were tired." He said against my ear as he rolled over and pulled me onto his chest.

I stroked his chest and kissed it. "I am, but my love and need for you outweighs the tiredness."

His arm was wrapped around my shoulder and he leaned up and kissed my forehead. "It is time to go to sleep. You need your rest, as do I. I will be here in the morning. I'm not going anywhere. I love you."

"I love you too Adrian." And we both drifted off to sleep.

We woke up to knocking at his door. Adrian pulled on his pajama pants and I grabbed a bathrobe. When he opened the door, his mother was standing there. "Adrian, can we talk?" He moved to the side to let her in. No matter how mad he was, she was still his mother.

"Have a seat. Would you like some coffee?" He asked.

"No. I just want to talk." She looked up at me with a condescending look. "_Alone_."

"Well, whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of Rose. I am going to make some coffee, I'll be right back." He walked into the kitchen and I followed him, only to get a bagel, then I returned to the living room and sat down in the chair.

Daniella looked at me. I wasn't sure what she was thinking. "Rose, you had said once that you were not looking for a lifetime commitment from Adrian. I believed you. Now you are playing house? Your father may be the next king, but you are still a _Dhampir_ and…" she was cut off.

"HEY! I did not invite you in here so you could attack Rose. I have told you, I am done and if you came here to insult her, you can leave. Now." He growled at her. I was in shock; I had never seen him like this.

"Honey, sit down. I was just trying to talk some sense into her. This isn't right. If she cared about you, she would see how this is going to ruin your reputation. Dhampir's are here to guard us. We help keep the Dhampir race alive, but they are not suitable to be lifelong mates. Why are you doing this?" She was upset, but I was getting upset as well. All she ever worried about was reputation. It was like she thought I was nothing but a plaything for Adrian. What a bitch.

"So, she's good enough to protect you or me and lay her life on the line for us, but not good enough for me to love her? You have a really messed up way of looking at things. She is more than you could ever be. She loves me, not because I am Royal or rich or because of my name. She loves me for me." He looked at me and smiled.

"Give it time son, she will leave you when she tires of you. She will just go back to her other _Dhampir_. You know the one. The one who has offered to protect you?" She said this as though I had an ulterior motive.

"Okay, I have sat here and kept my mouth shut as you sit there and bash me and treat your son as though he is an imbecile. I love him with all my heart, and I do want to spend the rest of my life with him." Just then there was another knock at the door. Adrian went to answer it while rolling his eyes. It was his father.

Nathan just blew right past him without saying a word. "Daniella, you've been up here for a while. What's going on?" He looked at me like I was a parasite. "Come on. If he won't listen to reason, we'll leave." I stood up and moved toward them.

"No, you'll stand right there and listen to what I have to say. You have been able to attack Adrian and down talk to me, and now it's my turn." I paused and Nathan took it as an opening to speak.

"Now listen here. You _will not_ speak to me that way. Adrian is my son, and I want what is best for him, and that is _not_ you." I interrupted him, and I must have shocked him. I don't think he gets interrupted very often.

"What's best for him? He told you that he loved me, that I love him. We refuse to hide it. And yet you tell him it's not real. That is not what is best for him. I chose to love him, because of him, nothing else. At one time I didn't know if it would work, but I know now that it will. We will be together. If you can't accept that, there's the door. Don't let it hit you on the ass." I pointed towards the door and noticed Dimitri standing there. I continued on. "I will protect Adrian with the same dedication that I protect Lissa. And I will love him more than you have ever dreamed possible. Now, any more issues you may have I suggest you take them up with Prince Arcos. You know, the next King?" I began walking away; I stopped and turned to look at them over my shoulder. "You know, my father?" and I disappeared into the bedroom.

"Adrian, please." I heard his mother say. "Please see reason."

"Leave. Now." Was all I heard Adrian say.

"Lord and Lady Ivashkov, please leave." Dimitri spoke up.

Just then Adrian walked in and sat on the bed while I got dressed. "Thank you. You were amazing out there. I love you so much."

"I love you too Adrian. You don't know how much I wanted to punch both of them!" I said.

"Well, I'm glad you handled it the way you did. Now, you need to get to Dimitri's. The seamstress and Lissa are waiting for you." He walked over and kissed me. "I'll see you later."

I went to Dimitri's to have the fitting. "So, what happened over there before I showed up?" Dimitri asked.

"Just the normal '_she's not good enough, blah, blah, blah._' Pretty soon they're going to be calling me a blood-whore." I said, starting to get mad again.

Lissa walked up and hugged me. "Don't worry Rose. All that matters is that you love each other. It'll be okay. Especially after Adrian's separation is approved."

We got our dresses altered and set off out across Court. I didn't have to be on duty until later so Lissa and I were spending the day together. We decided to go see my father and see if we could go shopping outside Court. I wanted to get something for him and thought going to a human mall might have more of what I was looking for. He said it was okay as long as another guardian came with us. Mikhail was the one I wanted to go, so that's whom we got.

We got to the mall and I knew right where I needed to go. Dusk was setting in and I wanted to get done as quickly as I could. I hated being outside the wards when darkness was so close. I went into the boutique that sold scarves. I found a beautiful black cashmere one and his initials, AMA, embroidered in. I knew he would love it. We had to wait for about thirty minutes for it, then quickly headed for the entrance. It was almost completely dark out and I felt the tell tale sign of Strigoi nearby.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

**Richelle Mead owns all VA

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I stopped Lissa and Mikhail and touched my stake. Mikhail went into guardian mode, and then I saw Lissa move out of the corner of my eye. She pulled a stake out of her purse. "Lissa, where did you get that?" I hissed.

"It's the one I used on Dimitri. I infused it with more spirit. I'm ready." She said.

"Lissa, Christian isn't here to help with fire. Put it away and let me protect you."

The nausea was stronger, which meant the Strigoi was closer, but I could sense there was only one. I took the keys from Mikhail and ordered him to stay with Lissa. "There's only one. This'll be easy. I'll bring the car when it's safe." I said as I went outside.

I got about ten feet from the door when I heard a voice from behind me. "_Princess_ Hathaway." I spun around to face that had addressed me. "I had to see it for myself. A new Royal line made up of two of the people who are able to strike fear in the hearts of Strigoi everywhere. The great Guardian Hathaway and the Zmey, Abe Mazur." Well at least he knew whom he was dealing with. We were both in battle stances circling each other. "Why would you, the princess of a family with only two living members, be out of the wards with the last living Dragomir? Not very smart if you ask me."

"I didn't ask you. But I think I can dispatch of you. Why don't you stop talking and see who's alive at the end?" I snapped back.

He lunged at me with his fist and I dodged. As his fist flew by my shoulder I raked my stake across his forearm. He screamed out in pain. Even though I got him good and he seemed to be in _a lot_ of pain, he was still doing a really good job at blocking his heart. He took me by surprise when he kicked my legs out from underneath me. I immediately jumped back up and he was headed right for my throat. I had my stake ready and as soon as he moved his hand to position my head I rammed the stake right through his heart. As his eyes dulled, my nausea dissipated and I knew there were no more around. I got up and ran to get the car.

Lissa and Mikhail jumped in the car and we headed back to Court. I called Sydney and told her what had happened and where to find the body. I knew it would only be a matter of minutes before someone would be there to clean up.

"Oh Rose, I was so worried. It took longer than I thought it would."

"I know. He wanted to _talk_. I had to wait until he was distracted." I didn't want her to know he was distracted by my throat. It would only make her more upset. "Well, my dad better like his present for all we just went through." I tried to lighten the mood by making a joke. There was no laughter.

We got back to Court, I had called ahead to let Hans know what had happened, and went strait to see my dad. I told him what happened, he already knew, but I explained anyway. I guess the Strigoi were still hell bent on taking out the Royals.

I headed towards Adrian's; I knew he was going to be worried. I knocked on his door and when he opened it he grabbed me and pulled me to him. "Oh, Rose. I was so worried. Why didn't you call me?" He wasn't mad, but I could hear some annoyance in his voice.

"I had to call Sydney and then call Hans first, by the time I got done with that, I had to report back to my dad. I'm sorry I worried you." He was hugging me tighter and tighter. "Adrian…can't…breath." I said and he let go with a sheepish grin. I looked around him and Christian and Dimitri were there as well. Lissa had gone over to Christian and was sitting with him on the couch.

Dimitri came up to me and asked what had happened. I sat down and told the story, _again_, and waited for his response. "Well, Roza, I think you should stay within the wards for a while. Obviously they still have people watching Court and bringing information back to them. They knew about you being a princess and they knew you had left the wards." I was making faces as he spoke. I hated feeling like I was a prisoner. I wonder if that was how Lissa felt sometimes. "Hey, we just all want you to be safe. All of us need to be careful." He decided he had said enough and went and sat down.

I had to be on duty in about four hours and decided I needed to sleep. Adrian cleared his apartment and told me I could just sleep there. He had to go to the feeders and then meet with Abe to discuss the separation. I lay down on the bed and drifted off into what I hoped would be a dreamless sleep.

I woke up about 3 hours later to someone knocking at the door. I didn't want to answer it for fear it being Adrian's parents again, but the knocking was becoming persistent, so I went to answer it. It was Mikhail and Lissa. "Abe sent us over to give you some news. First, you're not working today. He wants you to rest after what happened. I will be taking your duty today. You can take one of my days in the future. Second, I would like to thank you. Thanks to you, I have been taken off vault duty and was asked by Lissa to be one of her guardians. But I have been on vault duty for so long, I was hoping I could do some training with you and Dimitri." Mikhail had an excited sound in his voice.

"Of course you can. I am so glad you get to guard Lissa. I'm glad Hans saw that he was wasting you away working in the vaults. I will speak with Dimitri and let you know when to come by."

"Sounds good. Thanks." He responded.

Lissa had been very quiet and I could feel concern coming through the bond. "Liss, you want to stay?" I asked her. She nodded and came in and Mikhail walked towards the door.

"I will leave the two of you alone. I have some things to take care of anyway." He said as he opened the door and headed out.

I looked over at Lissa. "Okay Liss, what's wrong? I can feel something is bothering you."

"I'm just worried. I was afraid you would be upset that Abe had you pulled from duty and that I had asked Mikhail to guard me." She was twirling some of her hair around one of her fingers.

"Oh Liss. I'm not mad about anything. I am pretty worn after everything, and I know I wouldn't be 100% on duty. And I'm happy about Mikhail. I'm glad that he's with you. He deserves to be back on active duty. Now, if it was someone else there might be some issues, but Mikhail's a good guy. And he's been good to me and I will be forever grateful. He will be good to you too. I know it." I hugged her.

"Okay, I feel better knowing that." I could tell she meant it. I felt the ease through the bond. "Well, now that that's settled, I am going to go and let you rest. I am going to meet Oksana to go over some more charm making stuff. See ya later."

"Okay, have fun." I said back.

I didn't want to go back to sleep. I didn't want to mess up my sleep schedule, so I decided to clean Adrian's place up a little. I did up the dishes, did some laundry, and vacuumed the floors. I really loved this place. It was going to be sad when he had to move into the new apartments. We all would be moving. Construction was to begin in a few days.

I decided to take a break and watch TV. There really isn't much on during the middle of the human night. I finally just turned it off and rested my head on the back of the couch. Suddenly there was another knock at the door. _Who now?_ I got up and answered it, there stood Daniella in all her wonderful Royal glory. _Oh lord, what now? _I thought._  
_

"Rose, what are you doing here?" She asked. She sounded like she was shocked to see me there. She looked around me, obviously looking for Adrian. _It's not like I would steal anything._ I thought, and she was acting like that's what she thought.

"He's not here. He probably won't be back for another hour or so. I'll tell him you were here." I began to shut the door, but she stopped me.

"Very well. _We_ can talk then." She said, not sounding very nice.

"What do you want with me Lady Ivashkov? I think I have taken enough from you to last me a life time." I was tired of being courteous to these people. And what more could she say that she hadn't already?

"Well, I want to explain something's." She went over and sat on the couch. _Great, she was making herself comfortable._ "Adrian may say he loves you now, but you know that will change. You're only around until he find a Moroi that is suitable for him. You are not here for the long run." Man, she was really pissing me off, how many times do i have to hear this stuff? But I let her continue. "You are merely a play thing for him. He's just deluding himself. He'll realize it sooner or later. Nathan did the same thing. He had his blood-whore, and then when we met he knew it was time to give up that foolish life. Adrian will see that with you. You said yourself that you are not built to be a wife. And even if he wants to think otherwise, he will realize that. Your heart is set to be a guardian. But a Moroi and Dhampir in _love_? That just doesn't happen." She took a breath and I decided she was done.

"Now you're calling me a blood-whore? That is where I draw the line. You have no idea what Adrian and I have, but I am not his _blood-whore_. I don't even think you really know what that means. You just follow what the other Royals say. He loves me and there is nothing you or anyone else can do about it. You will feel the wrath of Adrian one of these days. I promise you." My temper was rising and I didn't want to lose any more control than I already had. "You need to leave before Adrian returns, he doesn't need the stress right now. Please."

"Fine, but I promise you, this _relationship_ will end." She said that as though this was all a joke. Then she walked out the door.

Adrian came home about twenty minutes later. I was sitting on the couch just replaying the conversation with his mother in my mind. He walked over and sat with me, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me to him. "What's bothering you Little Dhampir?"

I wasn't sure if I should tell him, but I knew he would find out sooner or later. "Your mother stopped by." I sighed.

"WHAT?" His body tensed. "What did she want? She didn't threaten you, did she?"

"No, she didn't threaten me exactly." I proceeded to tell him what took place. He was not happy to say the least.

"I'm getting a restraining order. Neither one of them will bother either of us again. This is ridiculous. This is harassment! They're stalking me, us! It needs to stop!" He was ranting now. I don't think I had ever seen him so angry before. It was kind of scary.

"Adrian, please calm down. I think a lot of your anger is coming from using so much spirit this week. We can handle your parents. Just please, try to calm down. I can call Lissa and have her come over and heal it out of you, if you want." I offered while I ran my fingers through his hair.

"No, you don't need to do that. Oksana made a ring for me that is supposed to help." He got up and went to where he laid his keys. He picked up a ring that was lying there and slipped it on his finger. He came back over and sat down. He looked around and it was the first time he noticed I had cleaned. "Oh, Rose. Thank you for cleaning. You're wonderful to me." He leaned over and kissed me gently. "I'm going to go lie down in bed. Would you like to join me?"

" I would love to join you, but I have things to do. I need to get some laps and training in, and I need to get to my room and take care of things there before the coronation tomorrow. I'll talk to you later?" I gave him another kiss. "I love you. Please get some rest."

"I love you too." He said. I walked out the door and headed to my room.

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**This is my third update today. Just trying to get caught up from when my hand was injured. Thank you all for the reviews. I am glad you are all enjoying this story. I will try to get the next chapter up sometime tomorrow. Thank you again.**

**Please continue to review. Although I am glad for all the reviews I am getting, I am kind of let down at how few I have gotten with so many hits on my story. Please let me know what you think, even if you don't like it. I even appreciate a little constructive criticism.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

**Thank you for reading. I have had some writers block where this chapter is concerned. I wanted to bring Ambrose into it, and explain some things the way I picture it, but I don't know. I hope you like it.**

**Richelle Mead owns all VA

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I got to my room and changed into my workout clothes. Then I headed for the track. I started my stretches and Ambrose came up. "Mind if I run with you today?" He asked.

"Sure, lets go." We were running and I could tell something was up with him. After about five laps I asked, "Hey, you okay? You're sweating quite a bit for only five laps."

"Yeah, I'm still having some issues with the withdrawal from the bites. Tatiana and I had been together a long time. It's been a while since the last bite and I am still struggling." He explained.

"It's been like three months. I guess I didn't realize it took so long." I said. I didn't want to sound rude, but I never took that long to recover from the bites.

"Well, when you've been feeding someone for years almost every day, and sometimes twice a day, it takes a long time. I still crave the bites, the bliss that comes from it. It's getting a lot better. I think I'm just about done. All this training is helping too, I think."

"Well, that's good. Come on, lets go do some staking. See what you've got." I suggested.

We walked into the gym and I got the dummies out and set up. "Do you have a stake?" I asked him.

"Yeah, Tatiana gave me one a while ago." He pulled it out of his bag. He handed it to me so I could take a look at it. It was beautiful. It had all the zodiac symbols etched into the hilt. There were two symbols that were larger than the others and I assumed they were his and Tatiana's. There were words there also. _My one true love. Forever and always._ I ran my hands along them and then handed it back to him.

"It's beautiful." Was all I could say.

"Thanks. It was a birthday present a few years ago. Even though I didn't graduate, she thought I should have one." He looked at the etchings. "She wanted to make it special."

I wasn't sure what to say to that, so I suggested we get started. "I know it's been awhile, so do you mind if we start with some basics?"

"Sure, I may need some refreshers." He laughed a little.

I asked him the same things Dimitri had when he introduced me to the dummies at the academy. Where the heart was, what was in the way of the heart, that kind of stuff. He asked me to show him some technique so I did. We worked together on technique for quite a while.

After about an hour and a half, I decided it was enough for one day. "Very good. You're impressive. Next time we'll have Dimitri here and he can help you even more." I said with a smile.

"You're a great teacher. Thanks for helping me. I really can't wait to learn more."

"Thank you. Well, I'm going to head home. Hit the showers and I'll see you Monday for more." I said.

"I'll see you at the coronation tomorrow. I'm not even working. I get to be an actual guest of the next King." He said as he gathered his stuff.

"Cool. We'll have a good time. Talk to you later." I said as I walked out the door. Maybe this training thing will pay off after all. I liked teaching Ambrose; maybe I would enjoy it with the novices also.

As I was walking out of the gym, I ran face first into someone's chest. "Umph. Oh, sorry Mark." I looked up apologetically at him.

"Just the person I was looking for. Lissa told me you would probably be here. She told us about the run ins you have had with Adrian's parents, and we made you a charm to help with the anger they bring out in you. Here you go." He held out his hand and dropped a beautiful bracelet in my hand. It of course was silver and had the symbol for eternity on it.

"I love it."

"Lissa picked it out and thought you would like it. How is Adrian's ring working for him?" He asked.

"Good, I guess. He just put it on today, he was having a very angry moment, and it seemed to calm him down immediately."

"That's good. Hopefully it will help enough that he won't need his other vices as much. Well, I better get back. See you tomorrow at the coronation." He began walking away.

"Yeah, see ya then." I was beginning to not be so excited about this coronation thing.

I went back to my room and got my dress ready, got my shoes, makeup, and hair stuff put together and went to lie down on my bed. I am so not ready for tomorrow night. I hated these things, unless I was one of the guardians that blended into the walls. I usually loved being the center of attention, but I didn't like these Royal things.

I called Adrian and told him I was staying at my place and I would see him when he picked me up for the coronation. He sounded tired and didn't seem too upset. I told him I loved him, and went to get a shower. The hot water felt good on my muscles. Some of the tension from the day was washed away. When I was done I put on a blue tank top and my blue and white satin pajama pants. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and lay down in bed.

I kept replaying different conversations from the day over in my mind. First was Ambrose's about being Tatiana's feeder and knowing how much he loved her. I thought about how much I loved Adrian and the one time I had let him drink from me. Would that be the ultimate way to show my love for him? But then I thought about what Daniella had said about blood-whores. Is that what she thought I was? But I also wondered if the majority of Dhampir's that allowed Moroi to feed off them, allowed it because they loved the Moroi that much. I knew there were some that did it just to do it, but when I was in Baia I saw that it wasn't all just because they were blood-whores. Granted a lot of Moroi used Dhampir's, but a lot of the Dhampir's that lived in those communities allowed it because they loved the Moroi and that was a way to show it. Now, I knew I wasn't ready for Adrian to drink from me again, not yet at least, but I understood it. And the more and more I thought of it, the more pissed I got at Daniella and Nathan. People like them were the reason there was a term such as blood-whore.

I finally drifted off to sleep, but I woke up off and on throughout the night. I woke up and noticed it was time to get up, but instead I just moved down under the covers further and decided not to get up.

Dimitri sent me a text asking why I wasn't at the gym. I just sent a message back saying I didn't feel well. Lissa kept sending me messages through the bond, wanting to know where I was for breakfast, why I hadn't called Adrian, when I was coming over. Finally she just showed up. She banged on the door then yelled. "Rose, if you don't open this door, I am just going to use my key and come in." I figured she could just use her key, that way I didn't need to get up. "Rose, get up. It's lunch time and we're all worried about you!"

I still had my head covered. "Is anyone with you?" I asked.

"No, it's just me. What is wrong with you?" She came over and plopped down on the bed. I peeked my head out of the covers.

"Can't I just stay in bed?"

"No. Now tell me what's going on." She said as she shook her head.

"Liss, I just don't know what to do anymore. Everything just seems to be coming apart. I _really_ don't want to go to the coronation. I mean, you know how much I _love_ these royal things. And then there are Adrian's parents, well, really his mother. His father seems to be after Adrian, but his mother really has it out for me. Liss, do you think I'm a blood-whore?" I was really rambling, but I think Lissa was keeping up. The thing that bothered me most was the blood-whore thing.

"What? Why would I think that? Why would you even ask me that?" Lissa was kind of confused.

"Well, I let you drink for me when we were out in the human world, and then Dimitri fed off me while he had me captive in Russia, and you also know about the night I let, well asked, Adrian to drink from me."

"Rose, that doesn't make you a blood-whore. I fed from you because we had no other options. Dimitri was under control of evil blood, it wasn't like you chose that, and as far as Adrian goes, you love him. It was a part of you that you could offer him that no one else could or would. What brought this on?"

"Well, Daniella for one. She called me a blood-whore when we were having our _talk _yesterday, and told me how Nathan had one until he met her. Maybe that's why Nathan is so dead set against Adrian and me. He may have had love once and was forced to give it up when Daniella came into the picture. And then there was Ambrose. We were talking about his feeding Tatiana for a long time. And how much he loved her. It made me start thinking about how much I love Adrian and how much I wish I could give him that part of me with no shame. I mean, I don't want to get addicted, but it would be something that only I could give him." I was starting to get upset again. I pulled the covers back up over my head. "UGH! Why couldn't my mind wait until after the coronation to have this train of thinking?"

"Rose, you need to do what you think is right. I don't see anything wrong with letting Adrian drink from you, as long as you don't let anyone else drink from you, that is what I think is bad, but it needs to be your decision. It doesn't matter what other people think. And do you really think that is why Lord Ivashkov has a problem with the two of you?"

"Yeah, I do. I mean think about it. He would probably be jealous of the fact that Adrian gets to have what he didn't. Actual love. If he loved that girl, then seeing us together would hurt. And as far as Daniella goes? I think she has a problem with it because it reminds her that Nathan will never completely be hers. She's not at all concerned about anyone's feelings; she's only concerned about reputation. But I don't think that there are as many people out there that look down on Moroi-Dhampir relationships as some may think." The more I thought about what I had just said, the more it made sense.

"You know, I think you may be right. About it all. People just seem to follow the higher ups and they don't understand much, that's for sure. So, not to change the subject, but are you feeling better now? I want to start getting ready. How about you?"

I pushed the covers down so they were at my ankles. "Yeah, but I'm hungry. Can I get something to eat first?"

"You should have eaten lunch with the rest of us. I'll have Mikhail go and get you a sandwich, okay?" Lissa offered.

"Mikhail's here? Why didn't you have him come in?" I asked.

"I wasn't sure what was wrong with you. Can you honestly tell me that you would have talked about what you did if he was in here?" She said giving me that smile that told me she knew she had me.

"Okay, I know, I know. Have him get me a BLT with extra mayo." I said as I hoped out of bed and headed into the bathroom. Time to get ready for the ball! _Yippee. _ I thought sarcastically.

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**The next chapter will be about the coronation. I am still working on it and I will get it up as soon as I can. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Please don't forget to review for me. Thank you for reading.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

**I am going to split this chapter into two parts. This will be covering the coronation. I will have an explanation at the end on the next chapter and why I broke it off. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Remember, I have pictures of Rose, Lissa And Jill's dress and Adrian's tux on my profile page. Check it out. Thank you again.**

**Richelle Mead owns all VA

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I ate my sandwich then jumped in the shower. My mind was still reeling after I thought about what Nathan and Daniella's possible motivations for wanting to break Adrian and me up. I would have to tell him my theory, but it could wait until after the coronation. I was nervous enough as it was, I didn't need Adrian upset about this too.

I came out and Lissa had just finished her hair. She had it pulled up in a half twist with a kind of ponytail curling down the side. It looked beautiful. "Okay, what do you have planned for my hair?" I asked as I sat down in the chair.

"Just let me work my magic and you can see it when I am done." She dried my hair then curled it all. She pulled it all up, using lots of bobby pins, and let a few strands fall down around my shoulders. She had a beautiful silver and crystal tiara that she settled onto the top of my hair. She turned me around to face the mirror and I had to admit, she did a great job. I did my makeup, which I decided to go clean and subtle. I had silver earrings that hung half way down my neck. They were pretty simple, just silver, no rhinestones or anything. Lissa told me that I didn't need a necklace, it looked good without one.

Lissa had put her dress on and she looked absolutely beautiful. The purple of the dress did great things for her skin. It made her look like she was glowing. She helped me into my dress and I admired myself in the mirror. The brown of the dress looked so good against the slight tan of my skin, and wow, it made my eyes just pop. The contour of the bodice hugged my body just like I knew it would. I looked like a princess for tonight.

We were waiting for the guys when there was a knock at the door. Lissa could feel it was Adrian and she turned to me. "Before I open the door, I told Adrian what color your dress was so he could pick out a tux that would look good. I hope that's okay." I nodded. She opened the door.

Christian came in first. He looked good. He had on a slim cut jet-black tux with a white shirt and a purple tie and vest that matched Lissa's dress perfectly. His jacket was long cut and he looked pretty hot. Adrian came in next and, man, he was gorgeous. His hair was the usual stylish mess, but the tux was amazing. He did a good job picking it out. It was slim cut, ivory from head to toe, the jacket was long cut and he had and ivory shirt, brown tie and vest. It matched my dress perfectly.

As I stood there staring I finally noticed he was staring too. He was taking me in from head to toe and he had a smile on his face. He swept a gallant bow and stretched his hand out to me. "My princess." I smiled. "You look beautiful." He kissed the top of my hand.

"As do you." I said as a blush crept across my cheeks.

That's when I noticed everyone was staring at us. "You guys look great together." Lissa said with a smile.

"You do too." I said back. Just then Dimitri walked through the door. He was in a black and white tux. He was on duty, but wanted to blend in. His hair was pulled back and he looked good.

"Lissa, Rose, you both look beautiful." We both said thank you at the same time.

Adrian held his arm out to me and asked, "Shall we go? Wouldn't want to be late." I grabbed Abe's gift and we set out for the coronation.

We walked into the ballroom and it was breathtaking. There was a small orchestra up on the balcony playing music softly. There was a dance floor in the center of the room that was surrounded by large round tables with gold linens, beautiful flower arrangements, a candle, and white with gold trimmed china set on each. The head table sat at the front of the room with same settings except the china. There were twelve chairs for the Royal Council and one on the middle for the monarch, which would be my dad. His crown was sitting on the table.

We had a reserved table so we went to sit down. We actually had two tables. Pretty soon everyone else started showing up. Abe and my mom came together. She had on a strait black dress that hugged her body, and Abe was in his normal expensive black suit. Tasha came in dressed in an ice blue sheath gown that clung to her. The color matched that of her eyes. Mia and Eddie were the next to arrive. Eddie was in the same kind of tux as Dimitri and Mia had a sparkly black floor length gown. Jill walked in with Ambrose and her mother. Ambrose had on a dark silver suit that fit him well and Jill had on her pink dress. If not for the age difference they would have made a very cute couple. Mark and Oksana were the last of our group to arrive. Mark had on a black tux, and Oksana wore a white floor length Grecian gown with a blood red sash. Pretty soon the entire room was buzzing with people.

Jacob Badica, the master of ceremonies, went to the head table. "We will be eating first and then the official coronation of the new king, and then the entertainment. Please enjoy the dinner." He went back to join his family and dinner began being served.

Adrian and I had noticed his parents come in and they sat a few table away from us with some of the other Ivashkov's. Hopefully they would be smart and not bother us tonight.

The dinner was delicious. We had salad, balsamic glazed chicken, mashed potatoes, and garlic green beans. For desert they had a decadent chocolate cheesecake. It was wonderful. I wanted more than one slice, but no one was willing to give theirs up. Pretty soon the waiters came around and cleared the tables. As that happened the twelve Royal Council members started taking their seats at the head table.

"Well, I guess that's my cue." Lissa said as she got up, kissed Christian and walked to her seat. It was still something to see her sitting in the Dragomir chair. Jacob Badica again came to the center of the table.

"As we all know it was Queen Tatiana's wish to have this man take her spot as ruler of our world. Prince Ibrahim Mazur-Arcos, would you please come forward?" My father kissed my mother's hand and came over to me and kissed my forehead.

"Prince Ibrahim Mazur-Arcos, do you swear to uphold the laws and traditions of the Moroi and Dhampir? Do you swear to govern our world with the best interest of both Moroi and Dhampir? Do you swear to this before the Royal Council, the Moroi-Dhampir population and God?" Jacob finished.

"I do." Abe responded.

"Royal Council, please vote aye or nay when called upon. Dashkov." "Aye" "Dragomir" "Aye" "Tarus" "Aye" "Ivashkov" "Aye" "Conta" "Aye" "Badica" "Aye" "Voda" "Aye" "Lazar" "Aye" "Ozera" "Aye" "Drozdov" "Aye" "Szelsky" "Aye" "Zeclos" "Aye"

As Jacob placed the crown on my father's head, a tear escaped down my cheek. "It's official, Your Majesty King Ibrahim Mazur-Arcos. Please, treat our people well and may your rein be long and prosperous." Jacob said before returning to his seat. Everyone stood and clapped.

"Thank you very much. I am certain that we are headed into a new era and we will prosper and be strong once again. My daughter and I are looking forward to bringing this new era of unity between Moroi and Dhampir into fruition. Now, please, enjoy the rest of the evening and have fun. Council members, please return to your friends and family. Thank you once again." Abe stepped down and cam back to the table with Lissa.

"Congratulations Dad. Here I got you this." I said as I handed him his gift. He opened it and took out the black cashmere scarf.

"Oh, Rose. It's beautiful." He wrapped it around his neck and leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. "I love it. Thank you."

"You're welcome." I said.

"Rose, I have something for you too." I turned towards Adrian. He pulled out a long black velvet case. I opened it and about fell out of my chair. "This is why Lissa wouldn't let you wear a necklace." He was smiling.

It was a beautiful necklace, the chain was a silver rope and dangling from the middle was a large diamond heart. "Oh my God, Adrian, you shouldn't have. It's beautiful. Thank you." I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him. He leaned back and took the necklace out of the box.

"Let me put it on for you." I turned around and let him drape it over my neck and fasten it. He leaned into my ear and told me, "It belonged to Aunt Tatiana. She left it to me with a note saying to give it to the person I gave my heart to." He took my shoulders and turned me around. "You have my heart and it now sits where it belongs." He leaned forward and kissed me gently on the lips.

"Oh my, Adrian, you don't know how much this means to me. I don't ever want to take it off." I exclaimed.

"Well, at least take it off when you are working out." He laughed. "Come on. Lets dance." He said as he took my hand and led me to the floor.

I heard my dad say, 'Come on J. Lets show these kids how it's done." I heard my mom giggle. It was still weird to see them like this, but it felt good to see everyone happy. Everyone joined us. Lissa and Christian, Eddie and Mia, Dimitri and Tasha, Ambrose and Jill, and Mark and Oksana. The dance floor filled up pretty quickly. I had noticed Nathan and Daniella eyeing me, but nothing was ever said. Adrian and I floated around the dance floor. We changed dancing partners pretty often so we could all dance together.

This night turned out to be a wonderful night. I had my family and friends, and we all had a wonderful time. We even got Mikhail to get up and dance a little. There were a lot of people that came up to congratulate my dad and me. It was kind of awkward, but it was probably the best Royal function I had ever been to.

I finally got back to Adrian. I wrapped my arms around his neck and whispered, "My feet are killing me. I think I am ready to go, you?"

"Whatever you would like." He said grabbing my hand. We said our goodbyes and started walking back to his apartment. I started taking my hair down, and wow, Lissa had used a lot of bobby pins. I finally got it down by the time we came to the main door of his building. "Are you coming up tonight?" He asked as he drew circles on the palm of my hand with his thumb.

"I was hoping it would be okay with you. I've missed you." I gave him a seductive smile. He opened the door and we walked up to his apartment.

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**The next chapter is a love scene with Adrian and Rose. It is a little more graphic than my others, but sweet at the same time. If you don't want to read it, that's fine. I just want to warn you that it is Rated M. Thank you for reading and please don't forget to review.**


	22. Chapter 21B

**Chapter 21-B**

**This is my Rated M chapter for Rose and Adrian. I hope you all enjoy it.**

**Richelle Mead owns all VA

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I waked in in front of him and he wrapped an arm around my waist as kicked the door shut. He pulled me to him so my back was up against him. He brushed my hair away from my neck and left a trail of gentle kisses down to my shoulders. He reached his hands up and began unzipping my dress. He let it fall to the floor and ran a finger down my spine. It sent chills all over my body. I still had my black strapless bra and black bikini underwear on. He leaned down and kissed down my arms then back up my spine trailing his fingers up my arms. "You are exquisite." He breathed against my skin.

I turned around to face him and he picked me up, I wrapped my legs around his waist and gave him a deep kiss. He carried me to the bedroom and sat me on my knees on the bed in front of him. I took his jacket off, then the vest and tie. I began unbuttoning his shirt and brushed it off his shoulders letting it fall to the floor. I tugged at his belt and finally got his pants off. He had on a pair of white boxer briefs that looked sexy on his lean, muscular frame. He reached up behind me and undid my bra. He ran his hands over my back as he kissed me deeply once more. Reaching down he slid my panties down to my knees and I stood up so he could get them the rest of the way off. I lay down on my back slowly and motioned for him to join me. "Just let me look at you. That necklace looks good against your skin."

He took his boxers off and knelt at the end of the bed. He started at my ankles and kissed up my leg and brushed his other hand lightly up the other leg. He got up to my upper thigh and paused and I felt his fingers brush against me. "Adrian." I whispered. I felt the flat side of his tongue come into contact with my clit. He began licking from the top all the way to my core. This was the first time he had ever done this to me, and it was awesome. He inserted one finger and began moving it in and out while his tongue lapped up my juices. He reached up with his other hand and began massaging my breast and pulling at my nipple. He inserted a second finger and began not only licking but sucking on my clit. I was getting close to exploding, but I didn't want him to stop. I ran my hand through his hair and the feel of his tongue and fingers pushed me over the edge. "Oh Adrian." I groaned as I came against his tongue. He sat up and licked his lips and his fingers. He had a lust filled expression on his face. He leaned over and got a condom and slipped it on. He leaned down and kissed me deeply, I was still squirming under his touch. He moaned as he entered me. He was moving slowly and I reached around and grabbed his ass. A growl escaped his lips and he leaned down and took one of my nipples in his mouth, teasing it with his tongue. I took my hand and slipped it between our bodies. I put two of my fingers around him and let him slide between them as he thrust in and out of me. "Little Dhampir, that feels too damn good."

I flipped him over and straddled his hips, moving up and down. I leaned down and kissed his lips and he pushed me up so I was in a sitting position. "I want to look at you." he was massaging my breasts again and then he put a hand between us and started massaging my clit with his finger. I could tell he was getting close as was I and I couldn't help myself. "Bite me Adrian." He sat up and began kissing my neck. "Are you sure?" He asked against my skin. "Yes, I want to feel you bite me as we both cum together." He continued kissing me until we were just about ready. As we both began to moan, I felt his fangs break the skin on my throat. It was the best orgasm I had ever had. I could feel him growl against my neck as he held my head with his arms wrapped around me.

When he finished he laid me gently on the bed and lay down beside me. "That was the best sex I have ever had." He said.

"Mmm Hmm." Was all I could say.

"What brought that on?" he asked softly.

"I'll tell you tomorrow. I just want to bask." My words were slurring as the bliss from his bite and my powerful orgasm threatened to take me over.

"Okay." He said as he licked the leftover blood on my neck away. "Go to sleep sweetheart. I love you."

"I love you too." And I drifted off into a blissful sleep.

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**Thank you for reading this chapter. I know it isn't anything exciting, but I thought it was sweet and I thought it would give a little insight to when Adrian and Rose tackle the feeding situation. Thank you and don't forget to review!**


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

**Sorry it has taken me so long to update. I had some issues writing this next chapter. I hope you like it.**

**I do not own VA, all original characters and plot belong to Richelle Mead.

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I woke up in the most wonderful arms in the world. Adrian was smiling at me and I was surprised he was awake this early. "How are you feeling Little Dhampir?" He asked as I smiled back at him.

"Still a little loopy, but not bad."

"Well, lets see if we can take care of that." He put his hand on the side of my neck and I could almost immediately feel the hot and cold that comes along with healing. His eyes were closed; he was concentrating on the magic. When he was done he opened his eyes and looked at my neck. "That's better. No bite marks showing. Do you feel better now?"

"Yes, much. Thank you." I said as I reached up and ran my finger down the side of his face.

"Well, before we get ready to head to breakfast, I think you need to explain to me what brought that on last night." I could tell he wasn't mad, but he was curious.

"Well, I had been thinking about it a lot. The last time I asked you to drink was kind of for selfish reasons, and I wanted to make it up to you." He looked at me with a perplexed look. "That so did not come out the way I meant it." I said as I blushed. "Anyway, it's something that I can do for you every now and then that just makes our relationship better. It makes me feel closer to you, closer than making love. Having you able to heal it is just a bonus. I don't want people to look down on us anymore than they already do. I want this to be something just between you and me. I hope you understand."

"I do. Knowing that you are willing to give yourself _completely_ to me means more than you will ever know. It pulls us closer and makes me love you even more, if that's even possible. And I have no problem healing you if that's what you want. I love you. And, can I just say," he took a breath and kissed my neck. "You taste exquisite." He licked his lips and laughed. I laughed right along with him.

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The day of the court hearing finally came. His separation was granted, and he was even able to keep his Royal status. There was also the restraining order. Nathan and Daniella were not allowed within 500 feet of either one of us. It was granted and to our surprise there was no objections from his parents on either ruling. The surprise came when the charge of actions unbecoming a Royal and the request that Nathan be stripped of his Royal title was read. We knew that there would be some commotion for that one. When the charge was read there was outrage written all over Nathan's face. He stood up, "WHAT? You can't do that." Directing it towards Adrian.

"He most certainly can." Abe replied. "We have video surveillance showing you forcefully enter Lord Ivashkov's residence on the date and time in question. And we have eyewitness accounts of your actions and the photos of the physical harm you caused to Lord Ivashkov. Violence, threatened or imposed upon any Royal is illegal. After we speak with Lord Ivashkov and yourself the council will vote and decide what your punishment, if any, will be handed down to you. Now, Lord Adrian Ivashkov, please take the stand and we shall begin." Abe was pretty upset that Nathan had interrupted.

Adrian told the story just as it happened and produced pictures of his eye, the inside of his apartment and the video surveillance from the hallway.

Then Nathan was called. He pretty much admitted to everything, but he thought he was justified. "What I did, I did because my _son_ disobeyed me. He was intent on keeping this charade with a _Dhampir_ going. He is my _son_ and I should be able to discipline him however I see fit."

"You may step down Lord Ivashkov. Thank you." The council took about twenty minutes to discuss it. When they returned they all had on poker faces.

"Lord Ivashkov, please rise. You have been charged with actions unbecoming a Royal. This stems from the physical assault of Lord Adrian Ivashkov as well as destruction of his personal property. He may be your son, but he is twenty-two years old. And that means he is a legal adult and able to make his own choices, whether you agree with them or not, when it comes to his life, personal or professional. Now, we have heard all testimony from both sides and this is our verdict. You are hereby stripped of your Royal title. You will no longer have authority to or access to any of the Ivashkov family estate or financial holdings."

Both Daniella and Nathan stood in silence. There was a heavy tension in the room as they started to argue. Abe raised a hand to silence them and Adrian reached over and grabbed my hand.

"MR. Ivashkov." It was odd to not hear the Royal title. "You have been spared here today. You could have been sentenced to jail for threatening _and_ assaulting another Royal, son or not. If I were you, I would be counting my blessings and be glad that only the Royal title was taken away and not your freedom." Abe was forceful. "_Now_, if you would rather I change that outcome, by all means, continue to argue with me. Now, if there are no other charges, this court is adjourned." We all stood up and turned to leave.

"Baby, please talk to me." Daniella cried out to Adrian. She looked completely broken.

"Mrs. Ivashkov," Dimitri was in from of Adrian. "Unless you want to disobey the restraining order, please leave us in peace." He turned and put a hand on Adrian's shoulder and began pushing us to the door.

"But you are my son. I love you." She said as we walked out the door.

"I love my mom," Adrian said as we walked away. "But she has to learn that she can not control my life and keep attacking Rose and me." Adrian said. I could see the hurt in his eyes, but I felt a calmness come over his body that I hadn't felt in a long time.

"Dimitri, do you think Adrian and I could have some time alone? I have my cell phone, if anything happens I will call you." I said. I figured Adrian would just want to be alone.

"Well, I guess, if that's what Adrian wants." Dimitri responded as he looked at Adrian.

"Yeah, thanks Dimka. I just want a little time to get used to this. I thought this would be easier, I know this is what I wanted, but I wasn't thinking I would have to deal with some guilt." Adrian sounded pretty upset.

"Okay, I am just a phone call away." Dimitri said and then turned and walked away.

"Do you want me to come with, or would you rather be alone?" I asked.

"I want you with me. We need to talk some anyway." He said as we started walking toward his building hand in hand.

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**I know this is shorter than usual, but this seemed like a good place to stop. I hope you enjoy it. The next chapter will be a trip Rose takes and hopefully have some more action in it. I am still working on it at present. I will update as soon as I can. Please review, I love to hear what you have to say!**

**Thanks again!**


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

**I hope you are enjoying this. Thank you for all the reviews.**

**Richelle Mead owns all VA

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The next week went by without incident. Adrian and I had decided that when we moved into the new apartments we would be living together. It just made sense. We were always together and we always have the problem of not having any extra clothes at the others place.

We had gotten a call from Alberta back at St. Vlads and she wanted Dimitri, Tasha and me to come out and talk to the sophomores about their upcoming trip, which wasn't for the next six months or so, to court and what to expect. We were leaving in a few days.

"Adrian, it will be fine. We're only going to be gone a few days, a week at the most. You'll have Pavel and Lissa and everyone else. And I'm sure I'll see you in my dreams." I winked at him. He was uneasy about this trip, though I wasn't sure why. Nothing bad could happen while we were at the school.

"I'm just going to miss you. _A lot_. Make sure you keep that necklace close to your heart." He said back. Adrian couldn't come with us because he had a lot going with Oksana and Lissa.

The day finally arrived that we were to leave. Our group stood on the tarmac saying our goodbyes while waiting to be able to board the plane.

I hugged Lissa. "Rose, please stay out of trouble. I know how you attract trouble, especially at that school."

"Don't worry Liss. I'll be fine. Tasha and Dimitri will be there, and you know nothing is going to happen. We are only going to be gone a few days." I gave her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I love you Liss. Be careful and have fun while I am gone." I walked over to Adrian.

"Hey babe. Don't worry, I'll be fine." I could feel tension rolling off him, and he had been uptight about this since we found out we were going.

"I know, I know. I just don't want to let you go. I want you here with me where I can keep an eye on you." He paused and kissed my forehead. "What if something happens to you and you need to be healed? I know, I'm just being the overprotecting boyfriend you love so much." He leaned down and kissed me gently. I pulled his face closer bringing our bodies tightly together. I deepened the kiss then heard people around us clearing their throats.

I pulled away and blushed at the gaping onlookers. "Sorry." I murmured.

"I told you the other day. I'll be back in a few days, a week at the most. You know I can't stay away from your hot body that long." I winked at him as I said that.

"I know I'm sexy. You don't have to remind me, but it's always appreciated." He said loud enough that everyone snickered. _That's the Adrian I know and love_, I thought.

"Come on Roza, the pilot wants us on the plane." Dimitri said.

"Hey Dimka. You take care of her, you hear? If not, you'll have to deal with me. I am still your boss!" Adrian chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah. Pavel will be here for you while I am gone. Rose will be fine. I swear." Dimitri replied.

I leaned up and kissed him again. "I love you my love. I'll see you soon."

"I love you too Little Dhampir. See you sooner than you think." Another kiss and I had to board the plane.

The plane, of course, was top of the line in luxury. Anything you could possibly want was here. Big plush seats that you could practically lay all the way down in, little flip down TV's that you could watch almost any movie you wanted to, computers you could go online with, and any drink or food you might want.

Tasha sat with her guardian that was accompanying us. My dad insisted. His name was Guardian Hulderman. I wasn't sure what his first name was, but he was pretty good looking. He was a little shorter than most male Dhampir's but he was just as strong. He had short light brown hair, almost the color of a light chocolate mocha, blue eyes like the sea after a storm, and dimples to die for.

Anyway, they were discussing the Moroi-Offensive magic strategy. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I could tell they were deep in the conversation. Dimitri came to sit with me.

"So Comrade. How are things? We haven't had much time to talk lately." I said.

"We see each other in the gym and at Adrian's every day." He cocked a small smile.

"I know that, but we really don't get much time to just talk. You know, about life and stuff. Any new women in your life?" I was trying to be nosey. I thought maybe with as much time as they were spending together, some sparks might be flying between him and Tasha. I know she has always had feelings for him.

"Roza, I don't have any desire to be in a relationship right now. I mean, don't get me wrong, I miss you, but I know now that you and Adrian are meant to be together. But I do still love you. It's not something I can just turn off. But I am working on it. The jealousy I felt is finally gone, but the feelings are still there. I'm just not ready to move on quite yet. It's only been a few weeks. But I am glad we're all still friends. And I like Adrian. He's a good man. If I didn't think that, I would have never offered to guard him. And I know he loves you, maybe even more than I did." He stopped and pushed some stray hair behind his ear. "Okay, enough about that." There's the Dimitri I knew. "Let's talk about this meeting with novices. We have a few hours until we land, you know we are going to be mobbed by adoring fans when we get to the academy." I nodded and we started discussing our strategy and what we will be doing.

We finally reached the airport, but still had about an hour drive to the academy. The sun had just set and I began to get nervous. We were going to be out on a human road after dark with no wards. But the four of us could handle it. I knew they would send a guardian to pick us up so that upped the number to five. It should be okay. There was a black SUV waiting for us and I could see Alberta standing by the door.

I ran up to her and gave her a huge hug. "ALBERTA! It's great to see you."

"You too Princess Hathaway." She said with a smile.

"Please, don't you start too. It's Rose, I'm just Rose." I said back.

We all piled into the SUV. Alberta was driving, I was in the passenger seat, Dimitri and Tasha were in the middle and Guardian Hulderman was alone in the back. He didn't seem to mind.

We drove through the countryside and all of a sudden I started to feel the nausea. "STOP!" I yelled. "There are Strigoi ahead. I don't know how many, but I think we're going to have to fight." I said as I grabbed my stake and started to get out of the door.

We all stepped out, ready for what ever lied ahead. "Tasha, just start setting them on fire. I don't care at this point who they are."

"Princess Rosemarie Hathaway. I heard you dispatched of one of my men a few weeks ago. This should be fun." The one in front said. They were stepping out of the shadows. There were six of them, but with four guardians and Tasha, this should be easy.

The one who seemed to be the leader stepped to the side and the five others came at us. Tasha lit up the first one she set her sights on. Alberta immediately staked him. She must have used a little too much magic because she almost collapsed. "I'll take her." Guardian Hulderman said. he grabbed her and carried her to the SUV.

We had already killed two more, and that left two plus the leader. Alberta and Dimitri were dealing with the two others, and I began to head towards the leader. "What do you want from me?"

"Oh, Princess. We just want your blood. Get rid of the Royals one family at a time, and we have a better chance at succeeding when we start with the smallest families. The Dragomir line would be the easiest, but you are always outside of the wards, where as you don't let her and her sister out hardly at all. But the lower number of Royals, the better our chance for domination." We were circling each other as he spoke.

"Well, I hate to break it to ya, but not only will you not defeat me, that giant Russian coming towards us will probably make fighting a little bit harder for you." Dimitri walked up and the Strigoi looked at us and began to back up. I happened to look to the left and saw a trail of fire come out of the darkness and he went up in flames. Dimitri's stake was in his heart just a soon as the flames immobilized him. Tasha somehow had come back out and was lying in wait.

We all got back to the SUV and I asked Tasha how she had recuperated so quickly. She opened the door and pointed back at Guardian Hulderman who was stretched out on the back seat with a goofy grin spread across his face. I noticed he had bite marks on his neck. I gave Tasha a quizzical look and she shrugged her shoulders. "He insisted. He grabbed my head and pulled it to his neck. I couldn't resist. I am sorry, but I'm glad I drank. I didn't take a lot, just enough to help you."

"It's okay, he'll be able to rest once we get to the school. For now just keep him comfortable." Alberta said as we started our drive again.

We finally made it to guest quarters. Tasha and I shared a room and Dimitri and Guardian Hulderman, whose first name we found out was Jeremy, shared another. We were all exhausted and needed to sleep. We would be meeting with the novices at the beginning of their day and Tasha would be meeting with the Moroi students at the same time.

I took a hot shower and just stood in the water for a while. My muscles relaxed and it felt good. I got out and put on the button up shirt I had taken from Adrian and laid down on the bed. I noticed Tasha was already asleep, so I turned the light off and went to sleep immediately.

I ended up in Adrian's apartment in his bedroom. It was lit with thousands of candles. "Little Dhampir, it's about time. I have been waiting forever for you."

"Oh my love. I miss you." I sighed as his arms wrapped around me.

"As do I. How are you? I heard about the attack. I know why you didn't call me, but I was so worried."

"I know, I'm sorry. But I knew you'd come see me. I'm okay, no damage to any of us. Just wore me out is all. They're after the Royal lines again and I just don't know what to do about it." I started to tear up out of fear for my family and friends. We were all in danger.

Adrian was stroking m hair. "It's going to get better. We'll start the training and become strong and be able to fight once more. You'll see. Now, lets concentrate on something better." He leaned down and kissed me, gently at first, then passionate. We kissed for quite a while, and then I pulled away and just stared into his beautiful green eyes.

"Adrian, as much as I want to stay with you, I need to get some good, deep sleep. That doesn't always happen when I dream of you like this." I said softly. I don't want to hurt him, but it was true. I always woke up tired after one of his dreams.

"I know. I'm sorry, I just don't want to let you go." He said, almost pouting.

"Adrian," I paused to kiss him. "I love you." Another kiss. "And I promise to call you in the morning before my meeting with the novices." Another kiss.

"Okay." Another kiss. "I love you too Little Dhampir." Another kiss, and the dream disappeared and I slept a dreamless sleep the rest of the night.

We decided to head to the commons to get some breakfast when we all finally got up. As we walked into the commons all eyes turned on us and a deafening silence enveloped the room. Dimitri, Tasha, and I went and got some food. We had left Jeremy in the room to sleep some more. It was odd to have _all _eyes on us. We knew they would be shocked, but this was a little ridiculous. Then it hit me.

"Oh, they haven't seen you since you were turned back, and I am now the King's daughter." I whispered to Dimitri. "This should be interesting."

Just then the doors swung open and I heard a voice bellow out. "Princess Hathaway, Guardian Belikov, and Lady Ozera. What a surprise!" It was Stan Alto. He strode over to us, giving me an unexpected hug; we were never very fond of one another, shook hands with Dimitri and swept a bow towards Tasha. "Please come with me. We will get you ready for the assemblies." We followed him out, breakfast still in our hands. "You'll have to forgive the students. They are quite in awe of you all being here. You are all held high here after all you have been through." We all nodded in understanding.

We headed to the gym first. "Rose, Dimitri, you will be meeting with the novices here. I am assuming you are going to show them some of what they have to look forward to when they come to Court. You will have access to any equipment you need. Tasha, you will be out doors in the track area, just in case you would like to demonstrate a spell or two. Anything you need let me now. The students will be down in about half an hour. Good luck." Stan finished and walked out leaving the three of us to get ready.

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**I hope you liked this chapter. Next chapter will be about the meetings with the novices and Moroi students. If you have any ideas please let me know. Please remember to review. I like to hear what you have to say and it helps keep me motivated to write more and update sooner. Thank you again, and i will try to get the next chapter as soon as possible!**


	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

**Here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy.**

**Richelle Mead owns all VA

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Tasha went outside leaving Dimitri and I in the gym. "So, what do we want to show these kids?" I asked him as I looked around the gym. We had access to anything we would need. There were the dummies, the mats, and the obstacle course.

"I think the best thing would be just use the mats and the practice stakes and show them what they're in for. That would be the best thing considering the amount of students we have today. Tomorrow when we have smaller groups we can test endurance while running and use the dummies. What do you think?" Dimitri finished.

"Sounds like a good plan. You get to be the Strigoi, seeing as you have the experience." I smirked.

"Hey, that was a low blow." He said as we were getting the mats in place.

"If I can't joke about it with you, I'll go insane!"

"I know, just watch it in front of the novices. I don't want them any more scared of me than they already are." I saw a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

"Okay. Well before we start I need to go call Adrian." I grabbed my phone and dialed his number. It was still early and I wasn't sure he would be up.

On the third ring I heard his voice. "Heelloo?" Adrian sounded like he was still sleeping or had gone out drinking last night.

"Are you still in bed or did you go out and get drunk last night?" I was afraid of the latter.

"No, not drunk, or well hung-over, just a long night. I don't like sleeping in an empty bed. I miss you. How are things?" He yawned, but sounded better. I was relieved he hadn't gone out drinking and subjected Pavel to the routine I sometimes had to go through when he got drunk because spirit got to be too much for him.

"Not bad. We're getting ready to meet with the novices. They should be here in about ten minutes. I just wanted to call and tell you I love you. I think we're gonna have them for a few hours at least." I told him.

"Well, that's good. The sooner you get this started, the sooner you'll be back home with me. Well, I'll let you get back to work. I'm meeting with Lissa and Oksana this afternoon, so I will let her know how you're doing. I love you."

"I love you too Adrian. I'll call you later." And with that I hung up and returned to Dimitri. He had already changed into his workout clothes, a black wife-beater and black and white running pants. "I'm going to go change. Alberta should be here soon." He nodded and I walked into the all-familiar locker room.

I put on my red sports bra and my black Capri stretch pants. I pulled my hair back into a tight ponytail and walked back out into the gym. The students were starting to enter and take their seats and Alberta was standing with Dimitri.

I walked up to them and just stared at the students. "They just look so young. I hate that we even have to do this." I said quietly.

"We all hate this. And, they are young. Just do the best you can and hopefully we'll be able to prove they aren't ready. Now, there is a video camera here and they will be filming this to distribute throughout the other schools for demonstration. So, good luck. I'll say a few words and then you can begin." Alberta called the novices to attention.

"Okay, attention please." Her voice rang out and silence fell. "This is Guardian Dimitri Belikov and Princess Guardian Rose Hathaway. I am sure you have all heard of them, but they are here to talk to you today about your trials and demonstrate some moves for you. They are the best our race has to offer, so please listen to them and watch closely." She turned to us. "The floor is yours."

I stepped up and cleared my throat. I was a little nervous, which was uncharacteristic for me. It was an odd feeling. "Good morning. I am Guardian Rose Hathaway. We are here today to give you a little insight into what you will face when you come to Court in a few months. We do not want to put you out on the front lines in the world unless we are certain that not only the Moroi, but you as well, will be properly protected. As I am sure you all know, Guardian Belikov has a unique knowledge of Strigoi fighting, and I have been in many battles with Strigoi. Guardian Belikov and myself will be your main instructors while at Court and will be delivering the final verdict to the Royal Council at the end of your trials. Guardian Belikov? Do you have anything to add?" I stepped to the side.

"We are two of many that _do not _agree with the new age law. This is not to say we do not think you are capable. We believe that the two years you are being deprived of is detrimental to the development you need to be 100% effective against Strigoi. We will be testing endurance, strength, speed, and discipline. These are all important aspects to protecting Moroi as well as yourselves. If at the end of your trials, you find your scores from us are not as high as you would like, do not be discouraged. These trials are in place to protect you, and hopefully get you those extra two years you all need and deserve. Now, Guardian Hathaway and myself are going to demonstrate some attacks for you. I will be Strigoi, for obvious reasons, and Guardian Hathaway will be attacking." Dimitri moved to the mats and I followed.

We both got into battle stances and began circling. I had my practice stake and was watching him intently. He took a swing at my face, but I easily dodged. All of a sudden he sprinted around me and ended up behind me and landed a punch on my shoulder. Man, he's fast. Of all the Strigoi attributes he could have retained we were glad speed was the one he kept. But I _hated_ it when he used it against me. He knocked me off balance, but I quickly recovered. I faked a punch to his face, but when he went to block I kicked his legs out from underneath him and straddled him. I had my stake at his heart and claimed my "kill". We stood up and faced the cheering novices.

We continued this for a while, showing them what it was like to get defeated as well. They were in awe. "That is just a small taste of what you might face. Keep in mind you will have Moroi to protect and there may be multiple Strigoi as well as most likely be outside with other obstacles. The one thing I can train you for is their speed. Being a former Strigoi, I retained the speed of one. In the past we could only train to how fast they _might_ be, with me you can see how fast they _are_." Dimitri explained.

There were collective gasps among the novices as Dimitri finished his speech. Normally he was very touchy when talking about his time as a Strigoi. It kind of surprised me that he talked so freely to the novices about it like he did. But he was right. Having the speed would help them understand what they would be up against better.

I took a step forward. "Now, would any of you like to come down and try a round with me?" I asked. We didn't want to start them off right away with Dimitri. There were some excited looks, but no one raised their hands. "Please don't be nervous. I know I am technically a Royal, but here I am just a guardian and instructor. Please do not hesitate." I said to reassure them.

A young man raised his hand. He was a good-sized Dhampir, brown hair, hazel eyes, pretty tall and muscular. I motioned him down. "Your name?" I asked with my hand outstretched to shake his. "Jason ma'am." He said a little shaky. "Don't be nervous, and please, don't call me ma'am. I am only two years older than you." I smiled at him. "Ready?" He nodded.

We took our stances and I handed him the practice stake. We began circling and he reached out to hit me. I easily deflected. I got a hit on him on his arm, but he kept going. He tried a roundhouse kick, but I got a hand on him and pinned him with my mouth at his neck, signaling his death.

I helped him up and he hung his head. "Don't be upset Jason. She is the best. She also has had a lot of training and experience in the field. That is what we are here for. To teach you. You did quite well. With more practice and control you will be very good." Dimitri said and then motioned Jason back to his seat. " You will all be very good with extra training, and that is what we hope to give you with these trials. More time and training to make you the best you can be. Now, we are done for today, but tomorrow, we will be working in smaller groups and focusing on staking. Please come dressed for it and prepared. Thank you." Dimitri finished and the novices started filing out.

"Well, that went well I think." I said as we began moving the mats back.

"Yeah, not bad." I could hear the tone in his voice and it didn't sound good. I walked over to him and put my hand on his arm.

"Dimitri, what's wrong? That went really well."

"It did Rose, but I hate having to talk about my time as one of _them_. Did you see the fear on their faces?"

"Yes, but think of the fear that will be there if they are sent out at sixteen." I smiled, trying to reassure him.

"True. Okay, let's go see how Tasha is doing." He said as he grabbed my hand and pulled me to the door. Tasha was standing on a raised platform in front of a set of bleachers. She was facing the Moroi students and they seemed spellbound by what she was saying. I could only imagine the speech she had laid out for them. She was always so good at this kind of thing. I think this is what she was born to do.

"Well, that about sums it up. Please remember that this is strictly voluntary. Only those of you who wish to learn and feel comfortable using magic offensively should continue down this path. We will work a little tomorrow with what we have and do some history of offensive magic and spells. Thank you for your time and I hope to see many of you here tomorrow." Tasha finished up and the Moroi began heading back to class. "Hey guys. How'd your meeting go?" She asked as she turned toward us.

"Not bad. The students were in awe of Rose here, but terrified of me. Tomorrow's gonna be interesting." Dimitri responded. I was just looking around thinking about all the laps I used to do out here when I noticed Guardian Hulderman had shown up.

"How are you feeling, Jeremy?" I asked him.

"Better than last night definitely. I figured I would come out here and see how Tasha was doing. Listen to what she had to say. I like her outlook on things." He said smiling.

"Yeah, she's great at motivational speaking." I said. I turned to Tasha, "So? What do you think? You think you hooked them?" I asked with a smile. Sometimes, like we all knew, this offensive magic use could be a hard sell.

" I think so, they _all_ seemed really interested. I hope most of them show up tomorrow. I mean, we won't be able to work on much other than fire, but at least they'll get the idea. Plus Guardian Hulderman has volunteered to help me out, so they'll get to see some fighting as well." She said. I looked over and saw a small smile on Jeremy's face. Looked like he might enjoy getting up close and personal with Tasha.

"Well, I want to go get a shower. How about we meet in an hour for a late lunch?" I suggested. Everyone nodded and Dimitri and I headed back to guest quarters.

I got back to my room and got ready for my shower. "Ugh." I said to an empty room. Showers just weren't as much fun alone as they were with Adrian. I started the water and let it heat up. I stepped in and let the hot water cascade down my body to soothe my muscles. It felt good, but not as good as it did when Adrian was with me massaging my sore muscles. _Okay, I really need to stop thinking about that stuff or the next week is going to be unbearable._ I thought as I finished up and got out. I wrapped up in my towel and went out to the bedroom and sat on the bed for a moment. There was a knock at the door. It was Dimitri. "Hang on a sec." I went to the bathroom and put on my robe.

"Sorry." I said as I opened the door.

"That's okay. Just thought I would come get you. I can come back." He said kind of blushing.

"No, no, that's okay. I just got comfortable in the heat. Took a little longer than I had planned. Sit down and I will be ready in a few minutes." I grabbed my clothes and went into the bathroom. I braided my hair and put my shorts and t-shirt on and walked out to put my shoes on. "Okay, lets go."

Dimitri was sitting on my bed and reached up and grabbed my wrist. "We still have some time. Can we talk?"

"Uh, okay, sure. What's up?" Why was he being so serious all of a sudden? What happened? "Oh, God. What happened? Did something happen to Lissa or Adrian?" I started freaking out.

"No Roza. I need to ask you something. Are you sure Adrian is the one for you?"

"Yes, why?" Where is this going? He knows how I feel. I love Adrian more than anything.

He turned towards me and put his hand under my chin. "Because I'm not so sure. I love you Roza." And he leaned in to kiss my lips.

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**Sorry for the cliff hanger, but i thought it was a good place to stop. I decided i had to address the feelings that Dimitri was still harboring for Rose. I think the next chapter will get to that. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for reading and please don't forget to leave me your thoughts and feedback.**


	26. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

**I am so glad that everyone enjoyed the last chapter. Thank you so much for all your reviews. Please continue.**

**Richelle Mead owns all VA

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"DIMITRI! What the _hell _do you think you're doing?" I jumped off the bed and across the room.

"Roza, please. I love you. I can't just give up. I had to know if you still had any feelings left for me." He said with his head down.

I was pissed. "Dimitri, I love Adrian. He has my heart. I can't live without him. I'm sorry I have hurt you. I'll always love you. You were the first for me in every way. You will always have a place in my heart, but I am not _in_ love with you anymore. I thought you understood."

"Roza, I just feel like you are it for me. I am sorry I upset you, but I love you and I just don't know how to get over you." I hated hurting him.

"Well, I think the best thing for us is if I return to Court as soon as possible. I will let Alberta know and the two of you can work together this week. After _this_ there is just too much tension. And I think when you get back you need to go back to guarding Lissa. I'll find another guardian for Adrian. You don't need the stress of seeing us together all the time. It's better this way." I was rambling but I knew it was for the best.

"I don't want to be reassigned. I like Adrian, I really do, and I can separate my personal feelings from my job." He pleaded.

"No, I don't want you guarding Adrian. He doesn't need it. He doesn't need _you._"

"You're not going to tell him, are you?" He actually thought I would lie or keep this from Adrian? The nerve!

"Yes, I am going to tell him. I am _not _going to keep this from him. Just as if the tables were turned I wouldn't keep it from you. Now, I am going to go speak to Alberta and get a flight home. We are still going to be training and working with the novices together but I think we need some time apart." I opened the door and motioned him out.

"Please, Roza." He reached out and grabbed my hand. I pulled away.

"No. I can't do this. I won't do this. I have told you how I feel and I am asking you to respect it." I said looking at him, hoping he would understand.

"But…" I cut him off.

"ENOUGH! I am trying to be nice here. My feelings have changed. You need to accept that. You need to move on. I want to remain friends and I hope we can, but you need to decide if that's possible. I'll understand if you can't, but that's up to you. I have to go." I walked past him and down the hall.

I couldn't believe this. I thought I had made myself clear when I made my decision. Maybe that's why he volunteered to be Adrian's guardian. To stay close to me. Maybe I'm just jumping to conclusions. Who knows, but I just don't get it. Why would he do this? I need to get home. I walked into Alberta's office. "Alberta, I'm sorry to do this, but something has come up and I need to return to Court as soon as possible. Dimitri, Tasha. And Guardian Hulderman will be staying here. I was hoping you would work with Dimitri this week." I said quickly. I was anxious to get home.

"Of course dear. Is everyone at Court okay?" She sounded really concerned.

"Yes, I just need to get back." I really didn't want to get into the details.

"Well, I was hoping to be able to catch up this week, but I will arrange it. I can get you a flight as early as you would like. I would just need to call Abe." She said.

"Thank you, Alberta."

"Rose, does this have anything to do with Dimitri?" She could always see through me.

"Yes, he tried to kiss me, and I just need to get back to Adrian. I think it's hard on Dimitri that we are here together. I think it best if I leave."

"Alright. I will arrange it. I'll call you in an hour or so and let you know when your flight is."

"Thanks. I am going to my room." I walked out back towards my room.

I got to my room and collapsed on the bed. Tears spilled out of my eyes. How did this happen? I thought we had all gotten past this. I just need to get home. I need to put space between Dimitri and me. Maybe that's what he needs. Some space and time. My phone rang. "Hello?"

"Rose, are you okay?" It was Abe.

"Hi Dad. Yeah, I'm fine. What's up? Is everything okay there?" I asked.

"Yes, I just got off the phone with Alberta and she said you needed to come home but wouldn't tell me anymore." There was a pause. "Your plane leaves in three hours. Can you be ready?"

"Yeah, I'll be ready. Don't worry. I'll tell you all about it when I get home." I said.

"Okay, I'll see you soon. Do you want me to tell Adrian your coming home?"

"No, I'd like to surprise everyone." There was a knock at the door. "Hey Dad, someone's at the door. It's probably Tasha. I'll talk to you when I get there."

"Okay, love you honey."

"Love you too old man." I hung up.

I opened the door and it was Tasha. "Rose, what's going on? Dimitri just told me you're leaving. What happened?" Obviously he hadn't told her the whole story. I invited her in and explained while I packed.

"Why would he do that? You haven't been sending any signals that you think you made the wrong choice. I know he still loves you, but that gives him no right." She was visibly upset.

"I know Tasha. But I just think it's best that I put some distance between us. We really haven't had a lot of space since everything."

"Well, I'm going to miss you. But maybe you're right. Space may be a good thing. Would you like me to ride with you to the plane? I can get Stan do drive us and Jeremy can stay and keep Dimitri company." She offered.

"Sure that sounds good." Tasha set out to get Stan and I would meet her in about forty-five minutes. How did this trip get so out of hand so quickly?

* * *

I landed at the airstrip at Court and my father was waiting for me. "Hi Dad. How are things going?" I asked.

"Everything's fine. The question is, how are you? Are you okay?" He did sound concerned. I had called him and told him everything and he knew I was upset. He grabbed my bags and put them in the car. Normally I would have just walked, but we were headed back to his office and it was on the other side of Court.

"I'm fine. Really. Still a little pissed but I'll get over it. I just want to go get some things taken care of and then go to my room and rest." I felt exhausted.

When we got to his office I went in and sat down. "Dad, I want Dimitri reassigned to Lissa. I just don't think it's good for him to be around Adrian and me all the time. Trainings and the trials will be okay. We can handle that. But as far as guarding Adrian, I just don't like it." I sighed. It was hard. Only because Dimitri was the best guardian out there, but I didn't want tension between Adrian and Dimitri when they were supposed to be working together. And Adrian was not going to be happy when I told him.

"Very well. I will leave Pavel on Adrian for now, and I will find someone to replace him soon. Now. Go get cleaned up and surprise your friends. I have arranged for a dinner for you all at La Synd. Be there at 7:15." I nodded, said thank you and headed out the door. La Synd was a fancy restaurant at Court that served Italian food. I loved that place. I got in the car and headed to my room.

Once there, I got in the shower. I had about two hours till I had to be a La Synd. I tried to wash away the stress of the day, and the conversation I would have to have with Adrian. When I emerged from the shower, I still felt like crap. I went to my closet and picked out my floor length, blood red satin sheath gown. It fit me well, not too royal, but not sleazy either. I had left my hair in the braid, so when it dried I took it out and brushed it out into long soft waves. I put a silver and diamond barrette in my hair that was a gift from Adrian. Then to finish off the look I wore my black heels.

I arrived at La Synd at exactly 7:15. I heard my father say, "and here's the guest of honor." as I came around the corner. I walked in and all my friends just stared and smile at me.

Adrian come running up to me, wrapped his arms around my waist, picked me up and spun me around. "Hey baby! Why didn't you tell me you were coming home?" He didn't let me answer before he crashed his lips to mine. _Gee, you'd think I had been gone a month the way he was acting,_ I thought. "I missed you. Sorry." He said as if he could read my mind, and he led me over to the table.

Lissa came up and hugged me. "I already know." She whispered. I took a deep breath. "Tasha called and gave me a heads up. I didn't say anything." I nodded as I went to sit down. Christian just looked at me with, what look was that, it wasn't anything I had seen on his face when his attention was on me. Oh yeah, he seemed happy to see me. Eddie and Mia were asking how it went and why I came home alone.

"I just needed to come back. Too many memories at that school." I was trying to explain without really explaining.

Adrian had a perplexed look on his face as I said that. I leaned over and whispered in his ear. "I'll explain later okay?" And I planted a kiss on his temple.

The dinner went well. We ate, laughed, and had a really good time. Finally it was time to go home. I was dreading it only because I was going to have to tell Adrian what had happened and I wasn't sure how he would react. I gave hugs and said good-bye to my friends and headed out.

"I've missed you Little Dhampir. I know it's only been a little over twenty-four hours, but it feels like so long. And that dress looks hot on you." He said with that wicked smile he gets sometimes.

We got to his apartment and went in and he gave me a lustful kiss. I pulled away and looked into his beautiful green eyes. "Adrian, I need to tell you why I came home early and alone." He looked at me like he was seeing a ghost.

"God, I'm gonna need a drink aren't I?" He said as he walked to the bar he had in his room. He grabbed a bottle of Vodka.

"Pour me one too while you're at it." I said. I sat on the couch and Adrian handed me my drink and sat down beside me, resting his hand on my thigh. I took a sip of my drink. "Mmm. Real Russian Vodka."

"Is there any other kind?" He paused. "Okay, I'm ready. What happened?"

"Dimitri…" I felt him tense. "Let me finish before you say anything okay?" He nodded. "Well, Dimitri tried to kiss me." There was a growl that escaped his lips and he lowered his gaze to the floor. He was angry. I told him the conversation and my reasoning for coming home. "I didn't leave to avoid him because I was afraid. I left because I'm hoping space will make him see I have moved on and that he needs to also." We sat in silence longer than I liked. "Adrian?"

"That _bastard_. How dare he! He pretends to be my friend just to put the moves on my girlfriend." The floodgates were now open. "He's lucky he's in Montana. I will have his guardian status revoked. He dreams of you, you know. His aura always lights up when you are around. I should have noticed." I could sense some of the Spirit darkness seeping out of him. He seemed to notice this too and took a big gulp of Vodka.

"I'm sorry Adrian. I just didn't want to keep it from you. You can't take away his guardian status. He is one of the best we have. But I have already asked to have him reassigned to Lissa." I took his hand in mine and held it to my heart. " My heart belongs to you. _Only you_. I love you." I sat my drink down and pulled his face to mine. He kissed me gently and picked me up and carried me into the bedroom.

"Let's see what that dress looks like on my floor, shall we?" he said as he sat me down.

We made love all night long. At times it was pure animalistic need, others it was soft and sensuous. After, I laid in his arms not ever wanting to leave. "I love you Adrian." I said.

"I love you too Little Dhampir." And we both drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The day came that Tasha and Dimitri were to return. I was in the gym lifting weights when I heard the doors open. I looked and Dimitri stood there looking at me. I stood, grabbing my towel and began to walk away. He reached out and grabbed my arm. "Roza, wait. I'm sorry. Please?" He asked.

I looked at my watch. "Make it quick. Adrian will be here in fifteen minutes."

"I'm sorry for what I did. I understand why you left. I don't want to lose you as my friend. Please tell me I haven't."

"I…I don't know." Just then the doors opened and Adrian came storming in.

"_You son of a bitch_." He was nose to nose with Dimitri. "What makes you think you have any right?" he hissed.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"No." I looked at him puzzled and the next thing I knew Adrian pulled his fist back and punched Dimitri right in the nose. "OW!" Adrian yelled and grabbed his hand. Normal pain for Dhampir's or even Human's was about 100 times worse for Moroi.

It didn't move Dimitri, but there was a trickle of blood running down Dimitri's lip. Adrian had gotten him good, I'll give him that.

"Adrian!" I ran over to him. Dimitri reached his hand down as if to help. "Don't touch him. GO. NOW." I hissed at Dimitri.

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**I hope you liked this chapter. I know there isn't a lot going on in it, but I thought it turned out good. Let me know what you think of it. Thank you for all your comments. They mean a lot to me.**


	27. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

**This chapter is going to be kind of a fun one. The beginning is about Adrian and Dimitri, then the middle is just some fun that I cooked up. The ending will be in Adrian's POV as he talks to Dimitri. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Sorry to those of you who did not like the last chapter, but I wanted to show the strength in Adrian. I hope this makes up for it.**

**Richelle Mead owns all VA

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Dimitri just stood there, almost like he was in shock. "Please Dimitri, just go." I said, a little calmer now.

"I'm sorry Adrian. Sorry Roza." He said as he turned around to go. I grabbed my phone and called Lissa and asked her to come heal Adrian.

When I hung up Adrian grabbed my hand. "I don't want her to heal it. I want the cast. I want to show off that I was able to defend my girlfriends honor." He said almost laughing. I got him to the bleachers and we were waiting for Lissa.

"Adrian, you _hit_ Dimitri. I know you're mad but why would you hit him?" I was worried about him because of his low tolerance to pain, but I was also a little upset with him as well.

"Are you serious? He kissed you, well tried, against your will. What else could I do?"

"Think about it. If I would have chosen him over you, wouldn't you do anything you could to prove that I still loved you?" Before he could answer Lissa came running in.

"Oh Adrian, what did you do that for? Dimitri could have practically killed you if he'd wanted to you know." Lissa chastised him.

"I know, but it was pure adrenaline. I probably didn't even hurt him. But when I saw him, I was just so mad. He made a move on Rose, and said he was my friend. The anger and hurt just took over me." Then he turned his head towards me. "And I suppose I would do what I could to make you see things my way if the roles were reversed. But I don't think I would ever physically impose myself unless you asked me to. But, I guess I can understand." We had gotten him out the door and on the way to see the doctor. "Rose, are you mad at me for what I did?" I just looked at him for a moment.

"We'll talk about it later. Let's get you fixed up first."

They took and x-ray and sure enough he had broken two knuckles and fractured the bone in his wrist. They gave him some painkillers for his pain and told him no alcohol and to rest for the rest of the day. He had a cast from his fingers to mid forearm. I got him home, and settled on the couch. "I'll get you something to drink and then I am going to go finish my workout and run." I told him as I made my way to the bedroom to change into my running clothes. "Here's some juice. No alcohol, remember? It could have an adverse reaction with the pain meds."

"This sucks. It still hurts. I think I'm gonna have Lissa heal it tomorrow." He said in almost a whine.

"What about your battle wounds? The glory?" I laughed as I put my shoes on and headed towards the door.

"Come here a minute." He said as he sat up of the couch some. He pulled me down with his good hand when I got close enough. "Don't be mad at me. Please? It was adrenaline. I was angry. I'll go talk to him tomorrow and apologize. Okay? Just don't be mad at me okay?" He was looking at me with those puppy dog eyes.

"Okay, okay. Let me up so I can go run. I'll be back soon." I leaned down and kissed him. "Please stay out of trouble. Love you." And I sprinted out the door.

I was running when I noticed Dimitri had joined me on the track. "Comrade. Are you following me?" I said with a smile.

"No, just needed to clear my head. How many laps you got left?" He asked.

"Not really counting. Just running. Want to rest?"

"Well, I just started, but I would like to talk to you."

We sat in the middle of the track. "Listen Rose, I'm sorry. About everything. I should have known better. After you left I talked with Tasha and Jeremy and did a lot of thinking." I cut him off. I had to say something.

"Dimitri, I'm sorry about the way I reacted. I could have done a better job at handling it. And sorry for yelling at you at the gym, it was bad form."

"It's okay. You were being protective. Adrian was hurt. I understand. It's no problem. Really. Honestly, that man of yours has a wicked right hook. It hurt. With some proper training you could have a good fighter on your hands."

"Yeah, that's just what we need. Adrian being _able_ to fight." I laughed.

"Hey, teach him some technique and skill and he could be really good. But this isn't what I wanted to talk about. I was able to do some thinking and reevaluate things while I was at the academy. I do love you Roza, I always will. But I think I am more in love with the _idea_ of you than actually being _in_ love with you. I would like to keep guarding Adrian, but that I will leave up to the two of you. I just hope we can still be friends."

"Well, thank you for that. Adrian wants to talk to you tomorrow and I think the whole guardian issue should be dealt between the two of you. As far as us being friends? Of course. I don't want to lose you. I just don't want you to be uncomfortable."

"Well, I'll let you finish your run and get back to Adrian. How is his hand? Did Lissa heal him?"

"No, not yet. He wanted to sport his 'battle wounds' but he is not liking it too much, so he agreed to have her heal it tomorrow. Tonight however, I get to deal with his whining. No, he's not that bad. He'll be fine tomorrow."

"That's good. Well, I really hope we can all get past this." He said as he got up and stretched some.

"I hope so too. I gotta go, but I'll see you later." And I took off towards Adrian's.

* * *

Lissa and I decided to spend the next day together. As I walked into the café I could feel excitement radiate through the bond. "What's up Liss?" I asked as I made my way to the table with my coffee and chocolate donut.

"Seems word is getting around about us looking for more spirit users. Abe got an email yesterday from a Russian academy, St. Basil's, I think." That's where Dimitri went to school I thought. "A student there has a sister, already graduated, that never specialized. Seems she is twenty-three, never specialized, can sense other people's emotions; Oksana calls her and empath, and she wants to come here. She's due to arrive in two days. I guess she is bringing her guardian. Oh, she's not royal, but she has a Dhampir friend and she is her guardian as well." This would be great for her and Adrian. Someone with a new power and just another spirit user in general.

"Do you know her name?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's Katya Starkova. It's a beautiful name isn't it? I wonder how powerful she is? Wonder what she does, to deal with the darkness; maybe she doesn't even realize she has it. It seems she had no idea what was going on. She just thought she never specialized in a specific element. The email also said she can wield all the elements quite well. Maybe she can teach us that too. Adrian and I haven't been able to do much with any of them. That could help a lot in offense. Oksana can wield air and water pretty well. Wouldn't it be cool if I could master fire?" She just kept going on and on.

Finally I stopped her. "So, Liss, what are we going to do today?" I asked. I really didn't want to sit around here all day.

"Want to go shopping? We can start getting some tings for the apartments. We're supposed to be able to start decorating them next week." That sounded fun actually.

"Sure. I want to pick out carpet. Dad said I could get whatever I wanted. I want carpet like they had at the ski lodge. Plush, soft, I just don't know what color. Adrian and I are getting all new furniture. He's picking out the living room and I get the bedroom. Let me call him and see what color he is going with for the furniture." I took out my phone and called him. He said that he was looking at chocolate brown micro suede. I could pretty much do anything with that. "Okay, lets go look at some carpet." I said as I got up from the chair and headed for the door.

I found sea foam green, maybe a little darker, carpet that would look perfect and add some color to the neutral walls. It would look good throughout the house. It was plush and soft, just like I wanted. Next stop was the furniture store. I picked a simple double bed out for the spare room that was going to be an office/guest room, and then started searching for the prefect bed for Adrian and me. I found a beautiful king sized solid oak, Amish made sleigh bed. I found a mattress that was the most comfortable thing I had ever laid upon. It felt like lying on clouds. Lissa picked a king sized cherry wood four post bed. She got the same mattress. Christian and her were going with black and white throughout the apartment so she got black carpet to go with the white walls and furniture. Their place was going to be striking. Ours was going to be more neutral. Both of our beds came with two matching dressers.

We decided it was time to return home. It was almost dinnertime. We had laughed and talked all day. It was good to have some time just for us. But we decided that we had spent enough money and headed back to our homes. I had pictures of everything I had bought so I could show Adrian. I knew he was going to love it.

We lounged around the rest of the evening. We made spaghetti, well, attempted it at least, but by the time we were done we were wearing more of than we were eating. We decided to take a bubble bath. Sitting in the hot waters surrounded by vanilla and lavender bubbles was so relaxing.

"Ya know, I think you need a new ring." He said against my ear. He reached behind him and grabbed a black velvet box. "Here, tell me what you think of this one."

"Adrian, you really need to stop buying me jewelry all the time. I don't need it to know you love me."

"Just open it and tell me if you like it."

I opened the box and saw the most beautiful ring I think I have ever seen. It had an oval pink diamond surrounded by round diamonds and diamonds going around the band. _(picture on my profile.) _The pink diamond alone had to be two carats. "Adrian, it's beautiful." I said a little louder than a whisper.

"Little Dhampir, you are the most important thing in my life. You know that right?" I nodded as I just stared at my new ring. "Rose," he took my shoulders and turned me around to face him. He took the ring and placed it on my finger. "Rose, will you marry me?" He asked with a grin.

If I had still been holding my ring I would have dropped it. I gasped. "YES! Yes. I'll marry you. Oh Adrian!" I leaned up and gave him a deep passionate kiss.

We made it to the bed and lay down. I just stared at my ring. "Adrian, this is beautiful. I can't believe it's on my finger."

"Did you honestly not know I was going to ask when you saw it?" He asked laughing.

"Really, no, I didn't. You always shower me in jewelry. How long have you had this?" I knew he hadn't gone anywhere lately.

"I've had it since we were at the academy. I told you back then that my intentions were noble. I leaned over and kissed him again.

* * *

**Adrian POV- conversation with Dimitri, the day after he punched him.**

Rose just left to meet with Lissa for breakfast. I had gone over to Lissa's last night and had her heal my hand and wrist. I just couldn't take the pain anymore. I changed my clothes and headed to the gym. I knew Dimitri would most likely be there, if not I would just call him. I needed to apologize to him.

I walked in and sure enough there he was at the punching bag. I hoped he wasn't picturing my face on that bag. "Dimitri?" He stopped and looked over at me. "Hi. Um, can we talk?" I asked. I was a little nervous that he would just hit me.

"Sure, lets have a seat." He walked over to the bleachers and sat down. Man, I can't believe I hit him. He's _huge_! He could have annihilated me.

"Um, well, I'm sorry about yesterday. Don't get me wrong, it felt great to know that I could 'protect' Roses honor that way, but it was wrong. I was just so angry. But I can't really blame you for trying. Rose is something else. I just wish you would have gone about it differently." I paused. I didn't want to get too mushy.

"No, I'm sorry for trying to kiss her. I would have reacted the same way if the situation were reversed. But, apology accepted. Can you accept mine?"

"Yeah, I think I can do that. I was hoping too that you would consider still being my guardian. It's totally up to you, but if we can get past this, then I hate to think of you not being my guardian."

He sat there for a few moments. "I'd like that. I talked to Rose a little last night while we were running and I'll tell you too. I don't think I'm _in_ love with her anymore. More like I'm in love with the _idea_ of her. I don't want to lose my friendship with either of you."

"Good. I want you to know, I'm going to ask her to marry me. I hope that won't cause any tension between us. I want you to know." I was a little apprehensive to tell him, but I thought he deserved to know.

"That's great. Thank you for telling me. She will be so happy, and I am glad that you are the one who makes her happy." He said with a smile.

"Thanks man. Well, I'm gonna get going." I got up to leave.

Dimitri grabbed my arm and I turned around surprised. "Hey, one more thing before you go. I must hand it to you, you have a wicked right hook. With a little practice, technique, and skill, you could learn to do that and other defensive and offensive moves with minimal injury to yourself. You could be very useful. I'd like to work with you if you're willing. Just something to think about." Wow, he thought I had potential. That's quite an honor coming from one of the best Dhampir's in the guardian world.

"Sure. Thanks. Let me think about it and talk to Rose. I'll let you know. Well thanks for listening to me and I'll see you soon." I said as I walked out of the gym. That went better than I would have thought. I guess considering everything I would have done the same thing he did. But, I am glad I wasn't at the end of his fist. Now, to go home and see how much of my money Rose has spent today.

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I just wanted to put some fun into it and also show the sensitive side to the guys.**

**Don't forget to review and let me know what you think.  
**


	28. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

**I am glad that everyone is enjoying my story. I hope you like this next chapter. There's a lot going on, but I think you can keep up. **

**Richelle Mead owns all original VA.

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It's still surreal to me that Adrian and I are engaged after just a few weeks of being committed to each other. Everyone is so excited. Especially the girls. They are just over the moon that they get to plan a wedding. Lissa, of course, is my maid of honor. She is the only person in the wedding party I have picked. But they have all made their minds up who should be in it. We don't even know when we are getting married. We just want to enjoy being engaged for now. I haven't even told my mom and dad yet. I knew Dad would want to throw me a party, so I have put it off for a while. I finally told them after about a week, and of course, he started planning the engagement party. Adrian and I told him that we wanted to wait until we got settled into the new apartment.

Within a few weeks we got all moved in and settled. There were four apartments on each floor. Adrian and I, Lissa and Christian, Dimitri and Eddie and Mia were on our floor. Tasha, Jill and her mom, Guardian Hulderman, and Oksana and Mark were on another. Ambrose and his aunt Rhonda were on the next. There were five floors in this building and we were hoping to have them filled at some point. My mom was contemplating moving into one also. The novice and Moroi dorms were done and ready for the students. The gyms were almost complete. We were expecting the first class of sophomores in less than two months.

We all got settled into the apartments. It was nice to have all of us close and in the same building. The day of the engagement part arrived and we all got ready in our own places. Adrian wore black dress pants and a yellow button up shirt with a black tie. The yellow actually did amazing things for his eyes. I decided to have some fun and wear a short white, blue and yellow strapless dress. It had some beading around the chest area and flared from there. (picture on my profile) I wore blue strappy heals. We made our way to the lobby and met everyone else. Lissa wore a mint green cocktail dress that came to her calves. It had a black border around the chest that went into the straps, Christian had on black pants, a mint green shirt and black vest. Tasha and Guardian Hulderman were dressed to match. Her dress was knee length, ice blue that matched her eyes. It was like a satin nighty really. Jeremy had black pants and a shirt to match her dress. Dimitri had on dark gray pants and a white shirt with a tie. Eddie and Mia were both in black. Mia's dress was fitted around the chest and flared from the chest to her knees. The skirt was pleated. Eddie was in black pants and a black shirt. Jill wore a simple dark pink cocktail dress, and her mother had on a purple halter dress. Ambrose wore black slacks and a red button up shirt and his aunt Rhonda had an Asian cut chocolate dress. Oksana had another goddess dress, this time it was blue with silver accents and Mark was in light gray pants and a blue shirt. We were all a colorful sight.

As we walked across Court to the hall we noticed Adrian's parents following us in the shadows. "You don't think they're going to try to cause problems, do you? Eddie asked.

"Just ignore then. They can't come close, or they will go to jail. They know that." Dimitri responded.

We got to the hall and my father had gone all out. There were some tables here and there, flowers everywhere and candles on the walls leaving a golden halo around everything. A table at the front had all sorts of different finger foods and drinks. There was a DJ sat up in the corner. I told him I didn't want any stuffy royal music. I wanted music we could dance to.

Katya and her guardian were there. They had arrived about a week and half ago and we had gotten to spend some time with them. She was beautiful. She was tall and slim like all Moroi, but she did have some curves. Nothing like mine, but she still had some. She had long chocolate brown hair and blue green eyes. She was also extremely nice. She had on a champagne colored slip dress that was one shouldered and came right to her knees. Her guardian's name was Levi, and she also was very pretty. She had shoulder length dirt blonde hair that was naturally curly and crystal blue eyes. Actually they were a lot like Christian and Tasha's. She had a simple red dress that came to just below her knees; it was a v-neck and had crystal accents at the shoulders. Their relationship was a lot like Lissa's and mine, but without the bond. They had known each other since childhood and Levi just stayed close to Katya.

We walked over to a table and sat down. "Hi Katya and Levi. I hope you are ready to have a good time tonight." I said smiling. I liked them both. And they both seemed to like Dimitri. I was hoping to fix one of them up with him.

"I'm glad you invited us. This place is amazing. The King did a wonderful job with it all." Katya said as she looked around in awe. She wasn't a royal and she had never been to Court. But she and Levi fit in well with our "rouge" group. She didn't seem to have to deal with the darkness like Lissa and Adrian did, but Oksana said that she thought it was because with empathy, it's more a feeling and she didn't need to use the magic as much. That actually made sense once we thought about it.

"Well, I think my mom had a hand in the decorating. She's been spending more time with Dad in the last month." I wondered if they were getting back together. If they were, they would tell me soon enough.

My father and mother walked in together. They walked up to the table, Mom took her seat and Dad clanged his glass with a fork. "Ladies and Gentlemen. I have brought us together tonight to celebrate a great event for our people. The coming together of Moroi-Dhampir in a loving eternal bond. Lord Adrian Ivashkov and Princess Rosemarie Hathaway. They have had a struggle to get here with many obstacles, but they over came all the adversity and will be married. It will be the first Moroi-Dhampir marriage to be accepted in our world for centuries. And hopefuls with many more. This gathering is to have fun and give them our congratulations. Please, mingle, eat, and have fun, congratulations Rose and Adrian. I am so proud of both of you." Abe came over and shook Adrian's hand and kissed me on the forehead. The DJ started playing the music and as people got up and mingled, some of the tables disappeared.

Throughout the night Adrian and I had tons of people come up and congratulate us. We danced, laughed and just had a good time. I noticed Levi dancing with Ambrose a lot, as well as Tasha and Jeremy. "Looks like Tasha and Jeremy may follow in our footsteps." I said to Adrian as I watched them whispering and laughing with each other. I looked around and noticed Dimitri standing by the wall alone. He was keeping watch. But I wish he would let loose and have some fun. Katya was sitting by herself picking at some food. "Adrian, go ask Katya to dance. I'm going to go dance with Dimitri and then we'll switch and make them dance together. I have a feeling they like each other, but they're acting all shy."

"Rose, I am _not_ going to play match maker, and neither should you. This could blow up in your face." He said a little annoyed with me.

"Oh come on. Have a little fun. It's just dancing." I said as I pulled away and started towards Dimitri.

"Oh, fine." Adrian said as he headed over to Katya.

I made my way to Dimitri and grabbed his hand. "Come on Comrade. Time to have some fun." I said as I pulled him to the dance floor.

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**Dimitri POV**

I'm really happy for Adrian and Rose. She'll always be my Roza, but it's different now. I am glad she found her other half. I was standing in the shadows keeping a close eye on all my friends. Ambrose and Levi seem to be getting close. That's good. He needs to find someone to fill the hole that was left when Tatiana died. It's still odd to think they were in love. Tasha and Guardian Hulderman are getting close too. It's nice to see all my friends happy. I didn't know if I would ever find someone who filled my heart the way Rose did, but if not, I was okay with that.

I looked around and noticed Katya sitting at a table. Every now and then someone would come and talk to her, but she didn't seem interested. She was definitely beautiful, but I don't think she realized it. She had a sarcastic side, which I found intriguing; I had agreed to work with her and Levi on fighting and technique. They were both pretty good, but just needed to learn some control and more technique.

Just then I noticed Rose heading toward me with a huge smile on her face. "Oh god." I mumbled under my breath.

"Come on Comrade. Time to have some fun." She said as she grabbed my hand and led me to the dance floor.

"Roza, I'm working." I protested.

"I don't care. You're my fiancés guardian and I say it's okay. So does he. Now, come on. Dance with me." Man she was persistent. And she _loved_ to throw it in my face that I worked for her and Adrian when it served her purpose. She never used it in malice though, so I didn't mind.

We danced for a few songs and I saw Adrian dancing with Katya. They were laughing, it was cute, but it annoyed me. I wasn't sure why. I knew Adrian was wrapped around Rose's finger, he would _never _hurt her, but it still annoyed me for some reason. Rose and I talked about training and stuff like that. We needed to get a curriculum set for the trials. They would begin in a few months. Just small talk really.

Suddenly, she said, "I think I'm going to go dance with Adrian. Would you like to dance with Katya? She had that devious smile spread across her face.

"I think I'm going to sit this one out." I said hoping she would drop it. But I knew it was a lost cause.

"Oh no you don't. You're going to have fun and dance. That's an order." She laughed. She pulled me over to Adrian and Katya. "Adrian, let's dance." And she, very smoothly I might add, put Katya in my arms.

"Hi." I said nervously. "Having a good time?"

"Yes, you?" She smiled. God, it was a beautiful smile.

"Yes" and we danced the rest of the night together.

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**Rose POV**

Adrian and I finally said our goodbyes and made our way to the door. I stopped an turned to look at all our friends having a good time. Dimitri looked so content with Katya in his arms. "You know, the only one left is Jill. Hopefully she will find someone that makes her heart beat faster."

"Rose, she's only fifteen. Leave her be for a while. She doesn't seem to mind." I looked over and she was dancing with my dad. Adrian has always looked at her like a little sister. He was always protective of her.

_Maybe one of the novices will catch her eye_, I thought to myself.

Pavel was escorting us back to the apartments since I had ordered Dimitri to stay and have fun. All of a sudden I saw movement in my periphery.

"Adrian?" I heard Daniella say in a small voice.

"Ma'am, I suggest you leave them along." Pavel said in a soft tone.

"Let her speak." Adrian said in an uncharacteristically royal tone. He turned toward her.

"Adrian, I'm sorry. I don't agree with this, but I came to offer my congratulations." She said, never once turning towards me. "And I came to plead our case. Please, will you try to get us restored to royal status? They moved us into guest housing. We're broke. Please. This is no way for an Ivashkov to live."

"Oh my god Mom! Is that all you care about? You think offering congratulations, yet not even acknowledging my fiancé, who is standing right next to me, would make me reconsider and talk to Abe on your behalf? Get over yourself. Deal with it, a lot of Ivashkov's live that way. They have modest homes, no over flow of cash, no servants, and guess what? Some of them even have jobs. Get one. It may help. We're leaving. Pavel?" Adrian wrapped his arm around me and we began walking away.

Daniella tried to follow, but I heard Pavel behind us. "Ma'am, you had your say. Now, don't forget about the restraining order. Leave them be, or I will have to call the Royal Guard." He didn't sound happy.

We made it to our apartment and walked inside. I was upset about seeing Daniella. Adrian grabbed my waist and pulled me to him. "Don't let her ruin this night. I won't." He whispered in my ear and then sucked my earlobe into his mouth. That always sent chills down my spine. He picked me up and sat me on the bar and stood between my legs. Leaning down he pressed his lips gently to mine while moving his hand up my thigh. "I love you Rosemarie Hathaway." He said against my lips, and began kissing me with intense passion.

I felt his tongue trace my lips and I opened my mouth just enough to feel my own tongue graze his teeth. I ran my tongue along one of his fangs and I felt a growl emanating from his throat. He lifted me up and took me into the bedroom. He went to remove my dress, but I stopped him. I took his clothes off and pushed him to the bed. He was a beautiful site. I slowly crawled up to his thigh and stopped where there was an extremely ticklish spot. I kissed it gently and then sucked it into my mouth. He was going to have a wicked hickey there tomorrow. He came up off the bed and let out a little yelp. I pushed him back down and made my way up to his manhood.

I could hear small moans escaping his lips as I took him in my mouth. He let out a gasp and his hands were in my hair. "Oh. My. God." I heard him murmur. I continued to lick, suck, and kiss him while he squirmed beneath my touch. "Oh babe." He said as his body stiffened and I felt him explode. After a few moments I looked up at him and he smiled. "I think we found your hidden talent. Now, come here." He said as he tried to grab my hands as I got up. "Not yet. I'm not done." I turned on some music and began doing a strip tease for him, leaving only my white peek-a-boo bra and white silk thong. I could tell he was enjoying it.

He got up off the bed and walked over to me. He slowly put his arms around me kissing my neck and shoulders as our bodies moved together to the music. He removed my thong first, slowly kissing back up my legs. He stopped at my chest as he flicked my nipples that were "peeking" out of my bra, with is his tongue. "I love this bra, but I'm gonna get rid of it." He said as he reached around me and undid the clasp. We were back on the bed, this time he was at my knees. "Your legs are beautiful." I felt his finger enter me slowly and his tongue licked gently at first, then a little more intensely. I felt him sigh against me and it sent shivers through my body. I began to move against his mouth and he knew I was close. He leaned over and grabbed something still working his fingers inside me. I wasn't sure what he was doing, but I was too tied up in the sensations he was sending throughout my body. I felt his tongue make contact again and this time he sucked me into his mouth and flicked his tongue against my center. I gasped and wrapped my hands in his hair as my body exploded. Quicker than I thought possible he was above me and inside me. "Oh my god Rose, you feel so good." He let out while kissing me. His hand was up massaging my breast. "Condom?" I asked between kisses. "Already on" He replied. So that's what he was doing. We moved in sync and just enjoyed each other. Since this was technically round two, we had lots of stamina. We loved each other and worshiped each other for hours. After, we just lay in each other's arms and basked in the love we both shared. We fell asleep into a peaceful sleep in each other's arms.

We awoke to someone beating on the bedroom door. It could only be Dimitri. He had a key to our front door. "GET UP!" He shouted. I made my way to the door and opened it. "What is it?" I said back to him.

"Abe has been trying to call you all morning, and he got worried and sent me to get you. We need to get to his office. He has some urgent news to talk to all of us about. Everyone else is already there. Come on. Get dressed." He was almost frantic.

"What's the news? Why can't it wait?" Adrian said groggily as he stood up and got dressed.

"That's for Abe to explain." Dimitri replied from the living room.

We both put on running pants and t-shirts and baseball hats. We walked out and hurried out the door.

"Adrian, Rose, please have a seat." I looked around and saw that Dimitri, Lissa, Christian, Eddie, Mia, Tasha and Jeremy were there, but they all looked exhausted from last night's activities. My mother was there also and she came over and stood behind Adrian and me and placed her hand on my shoulder and the other on Adrian's.

"We got a report very early this morning that someone had attacked a guardian at the front gate last night. He was drained of all his blood. We pulled the security tapes, and, oh Adrian, I am so sorry, your mother drained him and ran off." I felt him stiffen and saw a tear escape his eye.

"That means…she's…" he couldn't finish. I reached over and took his hand.

"Strigoi." I said, barely a whisper.

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**Sorry about it being a long chapter. I got a little carried away with this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it.**

**Thank you for all the reviews, and please let me know what you think of this one. I love reading what you think.  
**

**Thanks again, and I hope to have the next one up in a few days.  
**


	29. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

**Here it is, the fallout from the information of Daniella turning Strigoi. I hope you enjoy.**

**Richelle Mead owns all original VA.

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"Adrian?" My mother said, her voice full of sympathy. I looked at all the faces of my friends, my family. Lissa had tears streaming down her cheeks. Christian looked like he was reliving all the horror of finding out about his parents; Tasha had a look of terror in her eyes. I had the strange sense of déjà vu of when Dimitri was turned. Everyone else just had a look of pure shock on their faces.

"No, I'm not going to worry about it. She made her choice." Adrian said. He sounded very angry. No one really moved but they all stared at him in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, what?" My mom asked confused.

"I need a drink." Adrian said as he got up and looked around. "Rose?"

"Um, yeah, let's go." I turned to look at our friends, giving them a confused shrug. We walked back to the apartment in complete silence. Dimitri followed, but kept a far distance. I just wasn't sure what to say. My loves' life had just been blown up and he didn't have any emotion at all on his face.

We got back and Adrian paced for a few moments before he spoke. He walked over to the bar and poured a glass of Vodka. "Want one?" He asked as he poured one for himself. I just nodded. I could tell that he was full of anger; I just didn't know what to do about it.

He handed me my drink, but didn't sit down with me, he kept pacing. " This is all my fault, you know." He said quietly. He had finished his drink and this time just grabbed the bottle and drank from it.

"No, it's not. You said it yourself, she made her choice."

"I know, but what if I wouldn't have been so harsh, maybe she would have just gone home."

"Hun, I think she did. They said this happened very early this morning." He continued just as if I hadn't said anything.

"This whole situation has been so hard on her. Maybe if I would have helped her a little instead of turning her away. DAMN IT! _I could have stopped this!" _He sat down and cried. I put my arm around him and he exploded. "NO! Don't touch me! How can you touch me after this? I did this; I am not a good person. You deserve so much better than me." I cut him off.

"Listen here Adrian Ivashkov. You do not get to talk to me like that. Don't you _dare_ talk to me like that! I love you. You are where my heart belongs. You _are_ a good person! You didn't force her. Don't you dare tell me you aren't good enough for me!" I wasn't sure why I was arguing with him. I just didn't like the way he was going.

"No, I forced my mom to turn _Strigoi_! I may not have held a gun to her head and made her drink, but I know it was my words that pushed me over the edge." He was almost done with the bottle or Vodka and got up to get another one. "Can I be alone for a while? I'm sorry, I just need some time to let this all register."

"Sure." I said a little bewildered. I went to the bedroom and changed into jean shorts and a tank top. I walked back out and went to him and kissed the top of his head. I rested my hand on his cheek and he leaned his face into it. "I'll be back later. If you need me, please call." I kissed him again. "I love you."

"I love you too." He whispered.

I walked out and took my phone out. "Dad, send Pavel to my apartment."

"Why Rose? Is everything okay? Where's Dimitri?" He was starting to sound frantic.

"Everything is fine right now. I need Dimitri with me. I need Pavel to stand watch at my door so Adrian doesn't leave. I'll be waiting." I said.

"He's on his way."

"Thanks." And with that, I hung up. The next thing I did was open the bond to Lissa and see where she was. She was at home with Christian. I was headed there as soon as Pavel arrived. He showed up and I explained Adrian's state and that he needed to stay put. He nodded and I told him if there were any problems he was to call me immediately that I wouldn't be far. I gave him my spare key and told him that if things didn't feel right to go right in.

I went to Lissa's and banged on the door. Christian answered. "Rose, what's wrong?" he asked eyes wide with surprise.

"Get Lissa and follow me. No questions Fire Boy just do it!" I said.

"Nice to know you haven't lost that charm we all know and love." He smirked. "Lissa come on, Rose is on a mission." She joined him at the door. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was streaked with tears.

"Is Adrian okay?"

"I don't know. He kicked me out for a while. We need to find Dimitri and Eddie." I said quickly.

"Dimitri is in his room. I'll call Eddie." Christian said as we ran to Dimitri's.

"Tell him to come to Dimitri's quickly."

We got to Dimitri's and I pounded on the door. He opened it and let us in. I saw Katya sitting on the couch and I gave her a warm smile.

"You're worried. And scared. Can I do anything?" She asked.

"Maybe. I don't know yet. I'm still thinking. But thanks." I said back. Eddie and Mia came rushing into Dimitri's.

"What's going on?" Eddie asked frantically.

"Okay, Adrian blames himself. He things this is all his fault. He can by no means be alone." I told them what had happened last night and what he said just before I left. "I'm afraid he might do something to himself. He's drinking, but the anger has nothing to do with spirit, so it won't help like it usually does. I am thinking maybe if we go in and talk to him, we might be able to get through to him. Christian, do you think you and Tasha could try first? I know you don't like to talk about it, but…" he cut me off.

"But Aunt Tasha and I have experience with this. Yeah, let me call her." Just then my phone rang. It was Pavel.

"Pavel, is everything okay?" I asked frantic.

"Well, it was too quiet, so I let myself in and he's gone. Looks like he went out the bedroom window. He probably knew I was here. I've got other guardian's looking for him."

"Let me know. I know a few places we'll check out." I said and hung up. "Come on guys. Adrian's gone. I have a few ideas where he could be. Christian, call Tasha. You and Liss head to the feeders, and if he isn't there check at his dad's new place. Eddie, you and Mia go and check the café and diner. Dimitri, Katya, you guys come with me. We're headed to the bars."

Dimitri, Katya and I made it to the first bar. It was Adrian's favorite. I told Katya to put up her walls. I didn't want her getting overwhelmed by all the different feelings in there. I went to the bar and asked it they had seen Adrian. They hadn't. Well on to the next one. We had to walk a little ways. Eddie called and said he wasn't at the café or diner and they were headed back to my place. We made it to the second bar and he wasn't there either. Lissa then called and said he wasn't at the feeders and that his dad hadn't seen him. They were headed back to my place as well. We made it to the third bar and there he was. Sitting at the bar with a bottle of Tequila. I walked up to him.

"Adrian, honey. Time to go home." I said taking his hand.

"Oh Rose. My Little Dhampir. Why do you love me?" slurring he stopped and looked around. "I have to pee." I looked over to Dimitri and motioned for him to come over. "Oh, Dimitri, how nice. Looks like I failed our precious Rose. I'm no good for her." He slurred. Dimitri practically had to carry him to the restroom.

Katya came up to me. "He's so guilty and scared. I've never felt so much anxiety from one person." She said quietly. "And you, so much love and concern." She smiled as she said that.

"I love him so much Katya. I don't know what to do but love him." I said. "Do you feel anything else from him?"

"I felt strong love when he looked at you. I don't think I have ever felt such strong love radiate off two people like I do with you two. There's so much love there. He doesn't want to hurt you, but he's afraid he will. He feels very vulnerable." She stopped as we noticed Adrian and Dimitri coming back.

"You owe me Roza. I practically had to hold it for him." He grimaced as he walked by us and toward the door.

"What do you feel from Dimitri?" I asked, just curious.

"Great concern and worry for Adrian." Was all she said. But I could tell she wasn't telling me something.

"Come on babe." I said as I walked up and wrapped my arm around his waist. "Lets go home."

"Why does my red, red rose love me so?" He slurred. I could hear some of that crazy talk he sometimes got, but he was also very drunk. I went to pay the bartender and he shook his head.

"It's okay Rose. Hit me up later. Get him home."

"Thanks Scott." And we walked out. I called Pavel and told him we found Adrian and were headed back.

We walked through the door and everyone just stared. "Oh looky. All my friends came to the party. Want a drink anyone?" Adrian said as he attempted to walk to the bar. Dimitri caught him before he could fall over the ottoman.

"Not a good idea Adrian." He said flatly.

"Not a good idea?" He flung his arm out of Dimitri's grasp, almost hitting him in the face. "SCREW YOU! What do you know? What do any of you know?" He was ranting.

Katya leaned over and whispered, "Extreme anger." _Yeah, I knew that,_ I thought. But I didn't want to sound mean. She was just trying to help. Adrian was still raving.

"None of you lost your mother today! What do any of you know about…" He trailed off as his eyes locked with Christian's. Christian had a single tear that had escaped down his cheek. "Oh my god." Adrian stammered out then looked around the room for what appeared to the first time. "Um, could you all excuse us? I'd like to talk to Christian and Tasha alone." Everyone got up and headed out the door. Adrian went up to Lissa. "I'm so sorry."

"I know. It's okay. You're allowed to explode. What are friends for anyway?" She said with a small smile. He kissed her forehead and she walked out the door. I started to go after her.

"Little Dhampir. Please stay." He said taking my hand and kissing the top of it.

"Of course, Adrian. I'll make some coffee." He leaned up and kissed me. I could taste the Tequila on his lips.

"Thank you. I'm sorry I yelled at you." He said sadly.

"It's fine. You can make it up to me later." I smile back at him and went into the kitchen. I watched him as I got the coffee ready and I saw Tasha stand and hug him tightly for what seemed like forever. When he pulled away his face was covered in tears. They sat in silence until I came in with the coffee.

"Guys, I'm so sorry about what I said. I didn't think. I'm so sorry. All three of you lost someone to Strigoi. I can't apologize enough." He was so upset.

"Adrian, it's fine. You're allowed to blow. It's not healthy to hold it all in. You get to feel angry, lost, confused. We're just worried about you." Tasha was trying to comfort him.

"I know. But I don't know what to do. I'm scared she's going to come for Rose or me. I'm worried about what she could be capable of. I don't know what to do. I don't know how to deal with this."

"You deal with it one day at a time. But you can't let it take you over. It's not easy. I was lucky enough to be little when my parents turned. But it's still hard to think that they would willingly turn. Just don't let it rule your life." Christian explained.

"We have to either kill her and set her free or turn her back." Adrian was trying to figure out what to do now. We just let him talk. If it calmed him down, that was a good thing. I did the same thing when Dimitri was turned. "But since she turned willingly she will probably just turn again. That means we have to kill her."

"Adrian, slow down. Let's not think about hat quite yet. You need to realize this isn't your fault. You didn't force her to turn." I said as I held his hand.

"I know. I really do, but I'm still sorry for her. Was it really that bad that she felt this was her only way out?" He asked. I started thinking about Ms. Karp. She willingly turned to run away from spirit's side effects when I was in high school. I couldn't imagine feeling like there was no other way.

"Maybe in her mind it was. We may never know. But you need to believe it wasn't your fault and we will all be here for you." Tasha said.

"I know. I don't want to be rude, but I want to go lie down. Is that okay?" He said with an apologetic tone.

"Yes. We understand. If either of you need anything or you just want to talk, call me, okay?" Christian offered.

"Yeah, no problem. Tasha, could guys let everyone know? And could you call Abe and let him know too?" I asked.

"Sure." They gave us hugs and left.

Adrian wrapped his arms around me. "Oh Rose. I'm so sorry. So sorry for everything. I love you so much." He kissed my forehead.

"I love you too. I was just worried about you. Come on. Let's go lay down." I pulled him to the bedroom. "Babe, I don't want you to worry about this right now. Let's get some sleep and go talk to your dad tomorrow. I think we need to speak with him."

"Yeah, okay. I have some questions for him anyway. But let's sleep now. I love you Little Dhampir."

"I love you too Adrian." We kissed for a few moments and drifted off to sleep.

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**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I am working on the next right now, so I will get it up soon. Please leave me your thoughts and what you think. Your reviews keep me going. Thank you again.**


	30. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

**Here it is. The next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. There isn't a lot of action in it, but there are some key points that needed to be shown. Thank you for reading.**

**Richelle Mead owns all original VA.

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I woke up early and Adrian was still deeply asleep. I got up and put on my running clothes and left Adrian a note.

_My Dearest Adrian,_

_I love you more than life itself. I hope you are feeling better this morning. I went for a run and when I get back we will go see your father. Dimitri is with me. Please don't go out, but if you need to, please don't go alone. I will be back soon. _

_I love you my love,_

_Rose_

I left it on my pillow, kissed his forehead and went out the door. I went to Dimitri's and knocked on the door. He opened it, already dressed and ready to go.

"Roza," he said as we walked out the building, "How's Adrian?"

"He seemed to calm down last night. I don't know though. We're going to go talk to his father later. We'll need you to come with us."

"No problem."

"Would Katya come, do you think?" She could be useful. I was hoping she would be able to sense if Nathan blamed Adrian. If he did we would have to leave. Adrian didn't need that too. Also I was hoping to get to talk to her about what else she was feeling yesterday with Dimitri.

"Sure. I'm sure I could get her to come with us." I saw a small, controlled smile appear and disappear so quickly, that if I didn't know him like I did, I would have missed it.

I shoved my shoulder into him. "You like her." I stated.

"I guess, kinda, yeah. She's nice, and beautiful. I don't know. I just like being around her." He said nervously.

"Good, I can tell she likes you too." We were quiet the rest of the way to the track.

We started stretching and Dimitri broke the silence. "So, why are we going to Nathan's today?" He was trying to change the subject from Katya.

"Well, I have a theory. I have thought for quite a while that Nathan had once been in love with a Dhampir. A lot of what he said led me to believe he was jealous of Adrian and my relationship, or he was afraid that we would be ripped apart by our society. Daniella hated the idea of Adrian and me, and she mentioned that Nathan had been in some situation once, and when they met he gave up that lifestyle. When she said that I just go this weird feeling. I wonder if she knew Nathan didn't, doesn't, love her and that's why she turned. Revenge. I think Nathan and Adrian need to talk about this. I don't know, maybe I'm grasping at straws." I paused. We were on the track now.

"Wow. You could be on to something. It's worth a shot." He said. We ran the rest of our laps in silence. When we finished we headed back home. "I'll call Katya and have her meet me at my place."

"Okay. Give me about an hour. We'll be to your place when we're ready." We parted ways and I went into my apartment. I could smell pancakes and sausage. Adrian was sitting at the kitchen bar waiting for me.

"Good morning. You hungry?" He asked.

"Yes. Did you make all this for me? Have you fed today?"

"Yeah, I went to the feeders while you were gone. Don't worry, Christian and Lissa went with me. But, I thought I would make you breakfast. I still have _a lot_ of apologizing to do to you." He kissed me gently as he got up and started fixing my plate.

I sent a quick text to Dimitri: _Adrian made me breakfast, better give us two hours._

_That's okay, take your time._ He texted back.

I ate my breakfast while Adrian pretty much just watched me. He didn't usually eat right after he fed. Like most Moroi, he needed some time between blood and food.

"I need to get a shower before we go." I said as I took the dishes into the kitchen.

"Well, I haven't gotten one either. Want to conserve water?" he said as he kissed the back of my neck.

"You're insatiable, you know that right? Come on, let's go." I said as I turned to face him with my man-eater smile.

We walked into the bathroom and started the water. We undressed and stepped into the hot water. Adrian's hands came around me from behind. "I love you more than anything Little Dhampir. What can I do to make this up to you?" He had his chin resting on my shoulder.

"You don't need to make anything up to me. I love you; I'll do anything for you. All that matters is you feel the same way." I turned to face him and put my hands on his face. I leaned up and kissed him gently. He ran his hands down my back and rested them on my hips. Intensifying the kiss he grabbed my backside and pulled my body hard into his.

"Do you know what you do to me? How you make me feel?" he growled against my lips.

"I think I do." I said as my hands traced the plains of his body. His skin was so smooth, his muscles so defined, and with his training they would only get more and more defined. "Adrian," I said as I pulled back. "I _really _don't want to stop this, but we have no condoms in here, and we do need to get cleaned up." I giggled.

"I know." He hung his head in defeat. We washed each other in silence as we took in each other's bodies. _I could do this forever_, I thought. _And I'll get to! _I thought excitedly.

We got out and walked to the bedroom. Adrian grabbed me and pulled me to him. "I'm sorry, I can't control myself. Don't make me wait till later." He said as he hungrily kissed my neck and shoulders. His hands were everywhere. Between ragged breaths he hissed. "I need you, I want you, now."

I pushed him to the bed and pushed him down. I crawled on top of him and reached for a condom. Once I got it on him I settled slowly onto him. He let out a moan as I started to move up and down on him. It wasn't like our usual sensual love making that lasted for hours. This was more fast, but fun. He flipped me over and thrust into me harder. He knew just how to do it and we exploded in ecstasy together. "Wow, that was fun." He sighed as he leaned down and kissed me. He flopped on his side and I slapped his ass.

"Come on, people are waiting for us! We gotta go." I said as I got up.

"Oh, well, fine." We got dressed and hurried towards Dimitri's "What, is _everyone_ coming with us?"

"What?" I said confused. The door wasn't even open yet.

"Lissa's here, which means Christian, and Katya's here, which means Levi." Oh I forgot he can sense spirit users.

The door opened and Lissa stood there. "Don't worry, Christian, Levi and me are staying here. Come on in." It was like she could read his mind. "I just wanted to give you both something I charmed with happiness." She gave me a silver bangle bracelet and Adrian got a silver ring.

"Thanks Liss. This means a lot." Adrian said as he kissed her cheek.

"Yeah, thanks Liss." I said and hugged her tightly.

"Come on Christian, Levi. We need to let them go." Lissa said as she walked to the door.

Levi went to Dimitri and hugged him. "Keep an eye on her will ya?" She said quietly looking over to Katya.

"Always." He said. They all walked to the door and hugged Adrian and wished him good luck.

We were on our way to Nathan's and Adrian was walking with Dimitri and I was walking with Katya. "So, Katya, yesterday when you told me what you felt from Dimitri I had the feeling you were leaving something out. Will you tell me?" I was curious as to what she felt.

"Well, I guess I can tell you. He was afraid. Afraid for you. And deep regret. I asked him about it and he told me a story. Reluctantly, but he told me. He told me of his time as Strigoi and when he did to you. He told me how he felt and what he thought during that time. He's very afraid for you and Adrian. He's terrified that Daniella may seek revenge, where the two of you are concerned. He said that as Strigoi his feelings were intensified, but they were dark, instead of pure. He's afraid Daniella's obsession with you will intensify and since it was already dark, it will be darker." She paused and something clicked.

"Oh my God." I grabbed Katya and started running. "Hurry, we have to get to Nathan's now. He may have information we need." I yelled to the others as we ran full speed to Nathan's.

When we got there the door was open and there were boxes everywhere. "DAD?" Adrian yelled.

"Adrian?" Nathan responded from the kitchen in a very confused tone. He came around the corner. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I came to talk to you about Mom. What's going on?" Adrian asked as he scanned the room. There were boxes everywhere, suitcases at the door. But it wasn't like he was unpacking, it felt like he was leaving.

"I was going to send you a note but this is just as good." He looked up at me for the first time. The look on his face was different some how. No longer cold. It was like he had found peace. "First, let me offer my congratulations." He took my hand and kissed it. He looked at the ring. "My son has great taste. I heard about the engagement. I am glad this is working out for you both." He then dropped his hand.

Katya walked up to me. "There is no anger towards you or Adrian. But there is an overwhelming amount of regret. But I can't get a handle on it. When he looks at you he is overcome with guilt. I don't understand it." She went quiet, back to assessing the situation again, I assumed. Nathan had continued to talk to Adrian; I could hear him apologizing to Adrian for the way he had acted.

I interrupted. "Mr. Ivashkov?" He stopped me.

"Nathan, please." He said.

I still hated that name, but I proceeded. "Nathan, may I ask where you are going?" I asked, I had a feeling I knew, but I wanted to hear him say it.

"Well, I am headed to Russia. I have some family there, and I am going to live with my cousin for a while. I have some friends there also that I am going to look up."

"Dad, what are you going to do over there? Get a job?" Adrian let out a small laugh and I left the conversation. I walked over to Katya again.

"So, what did you get?" I asked her.

"Fear. Lots of fear when he mentioned his friends. There's still some concern for you and Adrian, but there is an insurmountable amount of fear for his friends."

"Thank you. Now, I need you to be a part of this conversation. Will you?" She nodded and we made our way into the living room where they guys had gone to sit. I sat down next to Adrian.

"Nathan, I'd like to ask you about your friends. Who are they?" I wanted to get as much information for me as well as Katya before I started jumping to conclusions.

"Well, there Max, he's a friend from school, and my cousin Constantine. Constantine is who I'm going to be living with. He actually owns an accounting firm and is going to get me a job there." I looked over to Katya, and she shook her head signaling there wasn't a lot of fear when he talked about them.

"Who else?" I asked, Adrian looked at me confused, no doubt wondering why I was so inquisitive.

"Well, there's some friends I went to school with and just some people I have lost contact with over the years." He looked at me curiously then realization lit his features. "You know about Isobel, don't you?" He asked. I looked over to Katya. She nodded.

"Isobel?" Adrian asked.

"Yes, Isobel is a dhampir I knew years ago." His eyes went unfocused like he was revisiting an old memory and he smiled a little. "She was amazing. Beautiful, fun, smart, strong, I spent many nights getting lost in her blue eyes." Nathan paused again smiling.

"Dad? Did you love her?" Adrian asked suddenly realizing what I already knew. Nathan had been in love with a dhampir in his youth.

"What makes you say that?" Nathan asked with a mischievous smile. Adrian got that smile sometimes.

"Well, the look on your face just now. It's the look I get when I think back to when I was chasing after Rose, trying to get her to believe that I really did love her." Adrian explained.

"Yes, son. I loved her, very much. I had just graduated from high school and was getting ready for college when we met. She was amazing. I wanted to marry her, but we just weren't sure how it would work. I went off to college, but I promised her I would return for her. I met your mother in college. My father forbid me to ever see Isobel again and ordered me to marry Daniella. At that time no one knew any better, and I knew I had to do it. When I returned home on one of or breaks I told Isobel the situation. I told her I would always love her, and I would keep her in my life no matter what. She said she wouldn't live her life as my mistress and ended things. I was heartbroken. I noticed you mother had been watching and when I walked by her she had a satisfied look on her face. I knew then that I would never love Daniella the way I loved Isobel, but I tried. I really did. I began to live like I had been taught, but I didn't like it. I lived the Ivashkov way, to always look down on people who were 'below' me. And I became rich and powerful." He paused, and then came back to the present. "When you brought Rose home the first time, I was jealous you were with the person you truly loved. You didn't care what anyone thought. I envied you because you weren't afraid of the scrutiny you could have faced, like I was. But I was so proud of you. But I knew if I showed it, your mother would have lashed out, and that was something I didn't want to deal with. She always hated that I had loved someone other than her, and especially a dhampir. Adrian, I am so proud of you. Sticking by Rose and never backing down. Can you ever forgive me? I am not asking to be restored to Royal status, truth be told, I am looking forward to living my life by my own means, but for everything I have done. I am so sorry. I don't want to leave here without that."

"Dad, it's a lot to get over, but I will try. I am just amazed by your story." Adrian was still in some kind of shock over it.

"Nathan, do you know where Isobel is?" I asked.

"Yes, that's one of the reasons I am headed to Russia in a hurry. Daniella was not pleased when I said we were moving to Constantine's. She started yelling last night that Isobel was the reason I wanted to go. Honestly, Isobel had nothing to do with it at the time. It was just for change, but then Daniella said she would find Isobel and take care of her. I got angry and told her to leave Isobel out of it. That's when she stormed out. When I found out she had turned, I knew I had to go find Isobel and protect her. I know that is where Daniella will be heading first." He hung his head.

"Nathan, do you know where she lives?" Dimitri asked, I could tell his mind was working on something.

"Yes, why?"

"Well, Rose and I can't leave for obvious reasons, but I have friends, guardian friends, there that can protect Isobel and take Daniella down if need be. You know she will return for Adrian and Rose next." Dimitri finished.

"Yes, I know. Let me get the address." Nathan disappeared into the bedroom.

"Adrian, are you okay with this?" Dimitri asked.

"Yes. Anything to protect Rose."

"You know my friends may have to kill your mother."

"I know, she is evil now, not my mother. It has to be done. Do what needs to be done Dimka." Adrian sounded at peace.

"Okay." Dimitri got up and went to speak with Nathan.

Adrian, Katya and I stayed in the living room.

"Rose, how did you know about this all?" Adrian asked.

"It was just a theory at first. I just had a feeling, but then I realized I was right. When I figured that out I had a feeling Daniella would be headed that way. I wanted to be sure before I said anything." I hoped he wouldn't be too upset.

"Well, it's a lot to take in, but we'll get through it." He said and he kissed me gently.

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**I know it's not very exciting, but I needed to explain about Nathan and Isobel's past. I didn't really want both of Adrian's parents being monsters. I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think. Thank you and don't forget to review.**


	31. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

**Couldn't sleep tonight, so here's the next chapter.**

**I hope you enjoy.**

**Richelle Mead owns all original VA.

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Dimitri and Nathan returned and Dimitri made a phone call. "Shawn, it's Belikov. We have a situation. There is an Isobel Starikov there…yes, you know her...Good, I need you to go to her and tell her Nathan Ivashkov sent you…yes Ivashkov. Anyway his wife, Daniella turned Strigoi and we think she is coming for Isobel…yes that's right. Take any measures you can to protect Isobel. Nathan will be there in two days…no, I can't come, my charge has to stay here…yes, any means necessary…okay, keep me posted. Thanks… Yes, talk to you soon." And the call was disconnected. He turned to Adrian and Nathan. "They're on it. Shawn knows Isobel. They be waiting for you."

"Thank you Guardian Belikov." Nathan tipped his head. "Adrian, Rose, can I speak with you along for a moment?"

"Sure." Adrian responded. He turned to Dimitri. "It's okay. You and Katya just wait outside." Dimitri nodded. "Thanks."

"Rose, I had a lot of anger towards you at first. I thought you were only after my son for his money and name. I know now how wrong I was. I am so sorry for what Daniella and I put you through. Adrian, you are so lucky to have found someone who truly loves you. In your position that is very rare. And you love her just as much. I am very proud of you."

"Dad, will you come back for the wedding?" Adrian asked.

"I don't know. Let's see where the situation lies at that point, shall we?" Nathan answered.

"Okay, I can live with that." Adrian stood up and offered his hand as if to seal the deal.

"You are my son, and I love you. I have to be going, my flight leaves in a few hours and I have to finish packing." He grabbed Adrian in hug. "Good luck, and thank you for giving me a second chance." Nathan then walked over to me, kissed my forehead and hugged me. " My future daughter-in-law. Thank you. For forgiving me and for loving my son." I nodded and Adrian and I walked out the door.

We got to Dimitri and Katya. "Lets go home." Adrian said as we all walked back to our apartment building. When we got there, there was something new built on the back of our building, it looked like a porch, but was enclosed. Lissa came running out. "You won't believe what Abe gave us! He had it built while you were gone." (We were gone for almost five hours.)

"What is it?" I said as we all took off to see it. Lissa opened the back door. It was a screened in porch that had what appeared to be a tiki bar set up in the corner, and a HUGE hot tub in the middle. "What's this for?" I asked astounded.

"I don't know, Abe just said to call him when you got here, so I did, and he said he is one his way over." Lissa told me. Abe arrived shortly with my mom in tow.

"Dad, what's this for?" I asked.

"This is your engagement present from your mom and me. We decided you needed somewhere to hang out and relax. This is what we came up with." He said with a huge smile.

"Thank you. Really, this is great." I said.

"One more thing. Your dad asked me to stay and head the Royal Guard. I spoke to Lord Szelsky and he told me to take it. I'll be moving into my own apartment here. But don't worry; it won't be here, I will be in the Royal quarters. Are you okay with this?" Mom asked.

"Yes, Mom, that's great. I'm glad you'll be here." I said as I hugged her.

"Come on guys, let's go for a dip." I said as we headed back in. This hot tub was _huge_. It was big enough for all of us and then some. Adrian changed into his black trunks and I put on my brown and blue halter bikini. By the time we all ended up in the water there were Adrian, Dimitri, Katya, Levi, Ambrose, Tasha, Jeremy, Eddie, Mia, Lissa, Christian and I. Adrian played bartender, a position he was well qualified for and we all just relaxed. Given the last two days, we were all in need this.

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Nathan made it to Russia and got Isobel to move in with him at Constantine's. Abe called St. Basils' and had them place wards around the house. They were protected and that put Adrian at ease a little. Daniella was there and there had been a few fights, but she was obviously good, she was still alive. Well, as alive as a Strigoi could be.

Adrian had begun training with Dimitri and me. I had him for running and weight lifting, and Dimitri had him for combat and technique. He could do ten laps to my fifteen, which was really good for Moroi, and he was pretty strong, getting stronger every day. But he was also still working with Oksana, Lissa and Katya, which made for some long days.

One day Adrian had spent the entire day with Oksana and he called me. "Rose, I'm having some issues with spirit today. I'm going to stop by the bar and have a couple of drinks. Okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine. Just don't get slobbering drunk. I have to meet with mom and dad, so it will be a while. Love you." I said.

"Love you too." And he hung up.

I needed to meet with them about the trials that were fast approaching. We had about a month left. Dimitri and I had drawn up some different curriculum ideas, but ultimately we wanted my mom to choose what would be the best one. I was there for a few hours and decided to head home. When I got there, Adrian wasn't home yet, and I knew where he would be, so I headed to the bar. It was late, but the bar was thumping.

When I walked in there were a bunch of people dancing. I looked out and Adrian was in the middle holding a drink over his head. As I got closer I saw him reach for someone and heard him say, "Aww, come on Piper. Don't leave me hanging." And I saw the girl from the club the night I had made my choice. I remembered what she had said, _when you get tired of the company here, you're always welcome._ It was something like that. I saw red. I stormed up to him pushing my way through the crowd. "ADRIAN IVASHKOV! What the FUCK do you think you're doing?"

"Oh man, Ivashkov's in trouble." I heard someone say. I turned towards the voice. It was that guy, what was his name? Oh yeah, Darin. "Piss off!" I shot back at him. Adrian locked eyes with me, and instantly his demeanor changed. Piper walked back up and I turned my back. "Oh Adri, let her go. Stay here and party with us."

"Don't touch me Piper." I heard Adrian say as I walked out the door.

Adrian came running up behind me and grabbed my shoulder. I spun around glaring at him. "What the _hell_ was that? You go out one night alone and decide you need to get a little on the side?" I yelled. "I can't believe I trusted you."

"Rose, please, it's not what you think." I kept walking towards the apartment. "We were just dancing, she was telling a story about Darin and stopped before it got embarrassing for him. Are you that unsure of my love for you? What do I have to do to prove to you that you are the only one for me? That you are my life?" He had stopped walking, but I kept on. I never turned around so I wasn't sure if he followed or turned back to the bar.

I walked into the apartment and slammed the door. He was right. I was acting like a child. I was acting like I was unsure of how much he loved me. I was angry, but suddenly I was angry with myself more than anything. About fifteen minutes later I heard his key unlock the door and the door opened slowly. Probably trying to see if I was going to throw something at him.

"Babe, I'm sorry." The door shut and locked. "I swear nothing happened, and nothing was going to happen. I'll always come home to you. You are it for me." He was pleading. I was still mad, but like I said, I was mad at myself.

I got up and walked over to him pushed him against the door. Not hard enough to hurt him, but enough to startle him. "Rose? What's…' I cut him off.

"Shut up." I was inches away from him. I could taste his breath. I leaned in and kissed him deeply, but angrily. I felt his breath catch in his throat. I pulled back. "I'm sorry. My jealousy took over." I crashed my lips to his again and ran my hands over his chest. I still had him pinned against the door. I ripped his shirt open, sending buttons flying throughout the room. "Lissa also used _a lot_ of spirit today." I said against his ear. He knew that meant that I had some darkness swirling inside me. He grabbed my thighs and swung me around so now I was up against the door. My legs wrapped around his waist instinctively. His hands were on my thighs gripping me tight as our tongues battled for dominance. He trailed his mouth down my neck to my shoulders. I thrust my hips into his and felt his excitement. He pulled me away from the door and lay me down on the floor. Thank God he kept a condom in is wallet in case we were in the hot tub or something because we weren't going to make it to the bedroom. Our clothes were being ripped off and thrown across the room. I wrapped one leg around his waist and he reached down and took my breast hungrily into his mouth. The heat between my legs was becoming unbearable. I thrust against him again and he slid in wasting no time. "Oh God Rose." He moaned against my breast. "Adrian, harder." I moaned. Our bodies were moving in sync, but it was needy. He ran his hand up my leg from my ankle to my thigh. His mouth attacked mine again as my nails dug into his back. I moved my mouth to his ear and sucked on his earlobe giving it a nip. I went back to his mouth and bit his lip. "Adrian, bite me. I want it." He didn't waste any time and I felt his fangs sink into my neck, then the bliss took over as every nerve in my body exploded with fire. I felt him thrusting harder and faster and he growled against my skin as he too exploded. He drank a little more than he had before, I was flying, and then I felt him lick the last of the blood from my neck. As he pulled away I felt like I had lost a part of myself.

"What _was_ that?" He asked, breathing heavily.

"Sex" I said, but it came out more like _seth_.

He giggled a little at that. "Let me get you some water." He went to get up and I tried to pull him back. "Little Dhampir, I fear I took a little more than I should have. Water will help a little." I nodded.

He came back and lifted me up and I drank the water down. He picked me up bridal style and carried me to bed. After he laid me down and crawled in bed beside me, I looked into his beautiful green eyes. "Sanks, I'm sowy." I slurred.

"Go to sleep beautiful. It's okay. I'm sorry too. I'll heal you in the morning and we'll talk then. I love you." He caressed my face with his hand.

"I wuv you too." And I drifted off into a blissful sleep.

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I wanted a fight between Adrian and Rose, but I didn't want it too heated. I hope you enjoyed. Like always, please let me know what you think. I still can't get over how many hits I have, but how few reviews I am getting. It makes me wonder if you like it and if I should continue. Let me know.**


	32. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

**I know that there a lot of Rose/Dimitri fan out there, but I am a Rose/Adrian fan. Don't get me wrong, I love Dimitri too, but Adrian is more my type,**

**hence why I like him. I am sorry that some of you**

**will not be keeping up to date with my story because of this. **

**But to those of you who follow my story, thank you for all your support. It means the world to me. **

**Richelle Mead owns all original VA.

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**

I rolled over and reached for Adrian. He wasn't there. I opened my eyes and noticed it was pitch black out which meant I had slept in _really_ late. Then I smelled the coffee. The bedroom door opened and Adrian came in with a tray with chocolate donuts and coffee. "Good morning, well afternoon really, beautiful." He set the tray down. "Here, let me heal your neck before you eat." I turned my head and his hand barely touched the skin. I felt the hot and cold run through my body as it healed. "There, just like new." He smiled down at me.

I took a donut and my coffee, and then leaned my head up against the headboard. "Adrian, we need to talk about last night. I have some questions." I said quietly.

He nodded and got comfortable on the bed. "What do you want to know my love?" He gazed up at me with those mesmerizing green eyes.

"I need to know about this Piper. What was she to you? What _is_ she to you? I mean, I just don't have a good feeling about her." I said looking him strait in the eyes, never faltering.

"Well, I told you before we used to go out. It's been a few years. It was nothing serious, but then again, nothing I did back then was serious. See, when I was in high school, I had a group that was close, kind of like our group now, just not as mature." He smiled at that. "Anyway, we were always together. We were snobby, royal and rich. In a way, we ruled the school. As you know of my reputation, I was a player. All that mattered was having fun. Piper was one of the girls I played, had some fun with, and then moved on from. But she always thought we were meant to be together. A Drozdov and Ivashkov union. But honestly? I didn't like her that way. She was kind of the equivalent of Jesse back at St. Vlads. No matter how I tried to fend her off, she just kept at me. It was annoying to say the least. When I came back here after college, there she was again. But I had changed in college. I was still a player, sure, but I like to think I wasn't that snobby stuck up jerk anymore. And when I met you, my life changed that night. Something about you that night went strait through to my heart and I knew there would never be another for me. Even if you never loved me, I would forever love you.

"Last night when I went to the bar, I ran into Darin, Piper, Tristin, and some others I went to school with. I didn't have a whole lot to drink and we were all just trading stories about these last few years. I had told them all about you and our journey to each other. They were all happy. Piper was Piper. She had the normal snobby Royal attitude she always had. But we were _all_ dancing and she was telling a story about Darin getting caught in bed with a girl by her father and then she walked away. That's when you walked in. I swear, there was _nothing_ going on. She is _nothing_ to me." He stopped and touched my face with his hand. "You are all I will ever need and want for the rest of my life. I love you"

"Okay, but last night you said, 'I'll always come home to you.' That's a little unsettling to me. That sounds like 'I may go have my flings, but I'll still come home to you.' I don't want a relationship like that. I want 100% monogamous relationship. I want to be the only one. I want to be enough." I said with as much passion as I could.

He wrapped his arms around my waist. "You are all I will ever want or need. You are the last woman I will _ever_ sleep with. You _are _enough for me. As long as I have you, I have no need for other women in my life. You make me whole. You make me want to be a better man. I know that sounds cheesy but it's the truth. You have made my life complete and I will _never_ want any one else. As long as you'll have me, and possibly even if you decide I am not good enough. What can I do to make you understand and trust me?"

"Just keep reminding me and I'll do my best." I said as I leaned up and kissed him. "But, in case you ever think of cheating on me, or you do it, I _will_, I repeat, I _will_ rip your balls off." I smiled mischievously at him.

"I believe you." He said in a nervous tone. "How about this, no more going out alone? You and me always. Unless it's guys or girls nights. Even then we'll, well, I'll have others there to let you know I was good."

I smiled and grabbed his head and pulled him down into a fierce kiss that left nothing to the imagination as to what I wanted.

* * *

We had one more week until the first trials began. St. Vlads was our first school. They would be arriving next Monday. Abe gave us all the next five days off from patrols to prepare. We all decided we were going to take Katya and Levi to the club for a night out. Really we all just wanted a night to kick back and have fun.

Dimitri's friend Shawn had called and told us Isobel had been attacked, but not killed. They were trailing Daniella and her group. There were seven Strigoi with her now and they were tracking them. Adrian had gotten upset but we got him calmed down. Dimitri and I had a meeting with Abe and decided that if she hadn't been killed by the time St. Vlads novices left, we were going to move the next trials back a week and we were going to fly to Russia and spend a week trying to find and kill her. We were sure that was all we needed. Adrian was not pleased with this idea, but agreed it was the best one we could come up with. Dimitri and I were the best for this. But we still hoped we wouldn't have to go.

We decided to blow off some steam and go to the club. We didn't dress up like last time, but everyone still looked incredibly sexy and ready for a good night. We all met in the lobby of our building. Lissa and Christian weren't there yet, so while we waited I went to find Katya. I found her with Dimitri, and they were holding hands. I was glad to see Dimitri had someone he could be close to. Lissa and Christian finally made it, which made the group complete. Lissa, Christian, Tasha, Jeremy, Eddie, Mia, Ambrose, Levi, Dimitri, Katya, Adrian and I headed out across Court to the club.

We were all dancing, drinking and having a really good time. I love how close we all are. It seemed that everyone had finally found someone to be happy with and we were all great friends, actually we were all one big happy family. The only one we were missing was Jill, but she wasn't old enough to be with us tonight.

I was watching Dimitri and Katya dance, and it brought a smile to my face. Adrian leaned down and said, "It looks like he finally found someone to fill that hole."

"Yeah, I'm so happy for him. He deserves happiness." I said, still smiling. "Hey, look, your _friends_ are here. Oh happy day!" I said sarcastically when I spotted Darin and Piper. Piper had on a short leather mini skirt, high heels, and what looked like a black leather band around her chest. _It would have looked better on my curves_, I thought.

She walked over to us and I could hear Darin behind her saying, "Don't cause any problems. Piper, are you listening to me? Leave 'em alone." She ignored his warnings.

"Hey Adri. I see you made up with your _dhampir_. Too bad, I had _big _plans." She was trying to sound seductive. I could have done a way better job.

"Piper, why do you insist on making a nuisance of yourself? How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from me?" Adrian shouted.

I opened my mouth to threaten her, but Katya stepped forward. "Hey, aren't you the girl I saw a few days ago making out with some old guy? I mean, it was hard to see your face, but I think I noticed something like that," she pointed to Pipers tatoo on her right breast. "On the girl I was looking at. Oh man, what was his name? Oh yeah, that Lord Conta guy. That's who it was." We all turned and stared at Katya. She just kept going. "Well? Was it you? I bet it was. You seem the type. Did he really pay you for your services?" Lord Conta was an old perverted Royal that tried to get into the pants of _anyone_ with boobs and two legs. And sometimes I thought the two legs would be optional for him. He was disgusting, and the thought of anyone actually kissing him? EW!

"Um…and who are you?" She asked Katya.

"Oh just a lowly non-royal. No one really, just a curious bystander." Katya replied with a smirk on her lips.

"Well, it wasn't me. I don't know what you're talking about." Piper snapped back quickly. A little too quickly, if you asked me.

"Yeah, okay, whatever you say." Katya said as she turned and walked towards the bar. "Rose, join me?' She asked over her shoulder.

Trying to suppress a laugh I stammered out "S-Sure." I grabbed Lissa's arm and caught up to her. "Is that true? What you said you saw?"

"Totally. It was disgusting. Dimitri and I were taking a walk and we saw it. I about gagged." We all laughed. "Oh Rose? Just to let you know, you have nothing to worry about where Adrian's faithfulness is concerned. He would never cheat on you." I smiled at her.

"Oh my God! You totally humiliated her. She stormed out of here. I don't think we have to worry about her anymore." Adrian said as he draped his arm around my shoulder.

"Well, I was just being honest. But it was _fun_. I would have hit her if she wasn't Royal." Katya responded.

"Honestly Kat, I don't think you would have gotten the chance. Rose was about ready to do it herself. You were very smooth though Babe." Dimitri said and kissed her temple.

"Thanks. Lets go dance some more." And we all continued to the floor.

* * *

"Man, the St. Vlad novices and Moroi come tomorrow. Are we ready?" I asked Dimitri as we finished sitting stuff up in the gym.

"Roza, I think we're ready. As ready as we'll ever be." He said.

"Have you heard from Shawn lately?'

"Yeah, I talked to him last night. They are staking out Daniella's hide out. They're hoping to have her in a few days. It's not that I don't want to fight, I do, and I know you do too, but I don't want to leave."

"I know exactly how you feel. Well, I guess that's it. Not much else to do today. Let's head home."

And with that we set off for the apartments to get ready for tomorrow.

* * *

**Thank you again for reading. I hope you are enjoying it. Next chapter starts the novice and Moroi training, so there will be some different POV's. And, one of the spirit users is going to get a new power. Wonder which one, and what it will be. And there may be more upset for Adrian and Rose on the way. Please don't forget to review. I love hearing what you think, good or bad.**


	33. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

**Here is the next chapter; it is mostly about the novice and Moroi trials. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for reading and leaving me your comments. They are greatly appreciated. Please let me know what you think,**

**Richelle Mead owns all original VA.

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**

Adrian and I were running laps together early waiting for the novices and Moroi. Adrian was going to be helping Tasha with the Moroi. Dimitri and I had set up the dummies and mats for the novices last night. All we had to do now was wait.

I noticed a plane landing and motioned towards the airstrip. "It's time. You ready?' Adrian asked. He knew how nervous I was about teaching. I wasn't sure I was good enough, or patient enough. Dimitri, Eddie, Ambrose and Jeremy came to the track.

"Rose, let's head in. Adrian, you're supposed to meet the girls at the Moroi gym." Dimitri said.

"How come all the guys and you are working together and all the girls and me are working together?" Adrian asked, trying to be funny.

"Well, I guess we're the only screwed up couple." I said as I gave him a quick kiss. "I'll see you for lunch okay?" And we parted ways.

The novices were brought into the gym. My mother was there as well. "Good morning." She said in an authoritative voice. "I am Guardian Janine Hathaway. You know some of the instructors by reputation, but we will do introductions. Guardian Belikov, Guardian Hathaway, Guardian Castile, Guardian Hulderman, and Guardian-in-training Ambrose Petri. Guardians Castile, Hulderman, and Petri will be with us for two days, and then they will be joining the Moroi for combat training. For the majority of your time here you will be working with Guardians Belikov, Hathaway and myself. We will now be separating into three groups. We will be on mats, staking or running." We were each given groups of about twenty-two students. She took hers to the mats, Dimitri took his out to the track, and I had mine on the dummies.

We spent two hours at each station with our lunch break half way through the second station. My first group on the dummies was pretty sloppy. This was going to be interesting. The second group, which was the ones that were running, was next on the dummies. A few of them were good, but still mostly sloppy. The same went for the third group.

After the seven hour day, Dimitri, my mother and I met up. Dimitri said their running was good, but they would need to run every day. Mom reported their fighting skills were good, but needed to be more refined and control, she said they were a little erratic. My report was the worst. They were sloppy, uncoordinated, and slow. They obviously were slacking on the stake training. "Well, they really focus on staking the junior and senior years, so that may explain it. Maybe that will be what we need to convince the council they're not ready." Dimitri pointed out.

"Well, let's hope it's that simple." I said. We were done and headed out to the apartment.

"ROSE!" I heard Adrian yell out. I turned towards him with a smile on my face. He caught up. "How was your day?" He took my hand in his and gave me a quick kiss.

"Not bad. I have a lot of work a head of me with them though. They're very sloppy with staking. How about yours?" I asked as we went to into the apartment.

"Okay, pretty boring. We just explained the process. When combat training begins though, it'll get better I'm sure."

We went in and locked the door. "I need a shower. I'm sweaty and sore. I'll be out in a little while." I walked into the bathroom as Adrian spread out on the couch and turned on the TV.

The hot water did wonders for my sore muscles. I just let the water flow over me for what seemed like forever. Finally after about forty-five minutes I got out, put on my underwear and an over sized t-shirt. I walked out and Adrian was still watching TV. "I ordered pizza. It should be here in about fifteen minutes. Come sit with me." He said.

We cuddled on the couch, ate the pizza when it came, and went to bed early.

* * *

We spent the next week practicing with novices. They were getting better with combat, but as far as staking went, we needed more time to get them effective. I wondered how the others were doing the Moroi offensive classes.

**Tasha POV**

We had a lot of Moroi show up for the classes. More than I had expected. Not only were we hoping to teach them some offensive magic and some fighting, these students had to get parental permission. Everyone seemed really eager to learn what they could do with their magic.

Mia was working with the water users. She was hoping to be able to teach them how to smother with water, along with taking moisture from the body, and see if the Moroi students had any other abilities.

Christian and I had the fire users. Fire was one way we as fire users could kill Strigoi. But it used a lot of magic and tired you out quickly, so we were hoping to practice control and teach them to incapacitate instead of kill.

Rhonda and Jill were working with the air users. There seemed to be some interesting uses for this element. Of course there was smothering with air, and taking it away, but on of the students was able to manipulate it so he could actually move objects through the air at will. It was quite impressive and could be useful.

The spirit class was interesting. The ones we had found all had different powers. Some I couldn't even begin to understand. Healing seemed to be a common thread between them, but at different levels. The biggest surprise was while practicing, Adrian discovered he was able to astral-project. He said it was like dream walking while the other person was awake. He would go into a trance like state, and then he would appear someplace else. It was interesting, to say the least.

We had some problems finding an earth user. The first that offered was Piper Drozdov, but Adrian was adamant she not be part of this, and Abe backed his decision. Then I got a call from a Kori Badica. She was Royal, but distantly down the line. She was twenty-six, and had been working offensively in earth magic for three years and offered to help. She stayed to herself a lot, but was eager to help with anything. She was able to do a lot, manipulate the ground in numerous ways; she could attack the minerals in the bones, which would temporarily incapacitate Strigoi, along with manipulating nature. She would be able to teach so many new things.

As for the combat training, Eddie, Ambrose, and Jeremy had a lot of work to do. With the two weeks we had the students, they had to start at the beginning, teaching them how to throw a punch the correct way, how to stand, and so forth. The nice thing was, we found out that Moroi Combat classes were being added to the schools as an elective. Change was definitely happening. And even after high school, if they wanted, they could apply here for more training, or if the went to a Moroi college, there would be classes there as well.

These students were talented. With some proper teaching, control of the spells, and concentration, our race will be able to stand by the Dhampir's, help with the objectives, and prosper once more. I was absolutely amazed.

**Rose POV**

The week of trials was here. Dimitri, Eddie, Jeremy, my mom and I were the "Strigoi" while the novices worked with Moroi instructors as the "charges". They put up a good fight where the fighting was concerned, but maybe only about five actually got any "kills".

One of the best was a novice named Kevin. We were at the last day of the trials and put the best four through the obstacle course while to Royal council observed. It was mainly Eddie and I as the Strigoi in the battle, but my mother was a hidden one as well, with Kevin and his Moroi, played by Adrian.

We had the obstacle course set up so it had a lot of twists and turns, hidden spaces, and tricks. Eddie had Kevin in a maze like area and Adrian was giving an Oscar worthy performance of a frightened Moroi. Kevin finally "staked" Eddie then came to my mom and me. Kevin got my mom with a few good punches and kicks and got her to a "cliff" and she fell off. He didn't get credit for a "kill" because he hadn't "staked" her. He came at me next. We circled, he did a good job at protecting Adrian, but I managed to get behind him, hands on his head and I said, "You're dead." He dropped and I got to Adrian and my teeth came in contact with his throat as I whispered against his skin, "You're mine." I gave his throat a quick kiss and stood up.

The rest pretty much went the same way. Dimitri was usually able to take his novices down quicker than the rest of us, due to his speed.

After we were done, Dimitri addressed the council. "While these novices have the endurance and combat training to go into battle, very few have the technique, control and ability to take out Strigoi without death being certain to themselves and the Moroi. We know from my experience that Strigoi do not travel alone, and if we allow these students to enter the war we will lose more. Give them the next two years and let the Moroi learn to fight and we will prosper."

The council murmured amongst them and Abe rose. "We will watch the other schools and make our final decision then." He turned towards the novices. "You all have done extremely well. Please continue to practice and please, enjoy the rest of your school year."

We headed over to Abe's office after we finished in the gym. Dimitri was going to call Shawn and see if we were needed.

"Shawn, it's Belikov. What's the status?...Yeah…Okay. Rose and I will be there tomorrow. Keep an eye out. We can only be there a week…My mothers?...Okay, see ya then." Dimitri hung up and glanced at Adrian and me.

"So, you're going." Adrian stated. It wasn't a question.

I put my hand over Adrian's; he had balled it into a fist. "You knew we probably would. We need to do this." I said to him.

"I know. I was just hoping it wouldn't come down to this." He said quietly.

I looked over at Lissa. She had tears streaming down her cheeks. She was chanting, "Please don't go Rose." over and over through the bond. I could feel the worry coming through also.

"Dad, we need to push the next school back a week."

"Already done. The plane is set to leave at seven. Be ready. Go home and relax, we'll see you all in the morning." He said it in a tone that gave no room for second-guessing, the meeting was over.

We walked out and Lissa came running up to me. "I'm going with you." I tried to protest. "Oh no, you don't Rosemarie Hathaway. You need me. What if something happens and you need healed? You heard Dimitri; you're staying at his moms. I won't go to the battle with you, but at least I'll be close enough in case you need heeling." She didn't take a breath. "I'm going and you can't stop me!" She just stared at me.

"Dimitri?" I asked knowing he would understand.

"Well, I guess it's okay. We might need her. She can stay at my moms while we are out. Her house is heavily warded."

"I'm going too then." Adrian spoke up.

"No you're not! I need you to stay here where you're safe. It's bad enough I'm going to have a lackey tagging along." I gave Lissa a smile so she knew I was joking. "But I don't need my fiancé putting himself in danger. You can visit my dreams and I'll call you every chance I get." He was just staring at me. I knew he was mad at me, but I was just being honest.

"She's right. We need you here." Dimitri said.

Adrian hung his head in defeat. "Fine." I had to laugh a little as he kicked a stone like a ten year old who had just been told he couldn't get any ice cream on a hot summer day.

"Come on Babe. Let's go home." I said pulling him away. We got to the lobby and I told Dimitri and Lissa that I'd see them in the morning, and we all went our separate ways.

We got inside and got ready for bed. After our showers we both crawled into bed. I rolled over and stroked Adrian's face. "Are you still mad at me?" I asked.

"Yes, if truth be told, I am. It's like you don't want me there." He said.

"Well, I don't. But only because you'd be in danger. You know, your, um, Daniella is after you too. I have to know your safe or I won't be able to do my job."

"Well, when you put it that way." He ran his lips from my ear to my collarbone. "I won't have you in my bed for a week. I think I need to show you how much I'm going to miss you." His hand traveled up my shirt as he said that. We spent the rest of the night making love.

* * *

We walked to the plane, and sure enough everyone was there to see us off. Lissa and Dimitri looked as tired as I felt after a night of no sleep. We all hugged, there were some tears, and good lucks. Adrian grabbed my waist. He planted a long heady kiss on my lips. "Make sure you come home to me." He said against my ear.

"I always will. Behave yourself."

"I will. Christian and I decided to be inseparable while you and Lissa are gone.

"Good. I have to board. I love you." I kissed him again.

"I love you too." Another kiss and I boarded the plane.

"Well, we all look tired." Dimitri and Lissa both smiled when I said that. "Let's not share the details. Let's get some sleep before we get to Olena's. We're going to need it." We all leaned back in the seats and drifted off, knowing the day after tomorrow Dimitri and I would be going into battle.

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**Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and leave me your thoughts and insights. Thank you again.**


	34. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

**I want to thank everyone for their support and opinions on my story. Thank you for reading.**

**Richelle Mead owns all original VA.

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We landed in Siberia and stepped off the plane. It was beautiful. I took a deep breath and inhaled deeply. The last time I was here I was on the hunt for Dimitri, someone I loved. Now, here I am again, on the hunt for someone Adrian loved.

The air was clean and crisp. It wasn't as warm as it was at home, but it was nice. The sun hit my face and I looked around at the lush and green land. Looking around it was more like vast farmland than a wasteland. Fields, pastures, barns, and houses were there, but few and far between. Abe had us land at a small private airstrip, and it was surrounded by farmland.

Lissa was looking around almost dumbstruck. "This is beautiful." She sighed as we walked back to get our luggage.

"Don't tell me you had the same misconception Rose did at one point." Dimitri laughed.

"What's that?" She asked

"An arctic wasteland?" Dimitri responded.

"Oh no, but I wasn't expecting this either. I'm not really sure what I expected, but it wasn't something this beautiful."

We walked to the waiting car and the driver got out. "Eli? Where's Shawn?" Dimitri said as he held his hand out the Eli.

"He's at your moms getting Nathan and Isobel settled. Who's this?" He asked looking at Lissa and me.

"This is Guardian Rose Hathaway and Princess Vasilisa Dragomir."

"Nice to meet you." He shook both our hands, but lingered on me a little too long.

"They are both off limits Eli." Dimitri growled.

"Sorry, always the protector, eh Dimitri?" Eli laughed. "Come on, let's get you guys home. Dinner should be ready by the time we get there. Then tomorrow we will go over strategy. I hear we only have five days?"

"Yeah, we need to be back for the next round of trials." Dimitri explained what we were doing. It seemed like he was avoiding talking about Daniella. Lissa and I sat in silence, just looking out the window gawking at the beautiful countryside.

I called Adrian to let him know we had arrived safe and sound. We talked for a few minutes and then Lissa talked to Christian for a few and we went back to the drive.

"Do you think Dimitri's family will like me?" Lissa finally asked.

"They will love you. Don't worry. It will be okay." I said.

Dimitri opened the door to his mom's house. It was eerily quiet. "Mama?" He yelled. There was no response. He turned and gave me a worried look. "Where are they?" He said quietly.

I kept Lissa behind me, but I didn't think we were in any danger. Dimitri disappeared into the kitchen and Lissa and I headed to the back door. I saw Paul, Karolina's son, peaking out from behind a tree. Lissa and I turned around and went to find Dimitri. "They're in the backyard. I saw Paul peeking around a tree." We headed out the back.

Dimitri opened the back door and yelled, "I KNOW YOU'RE OUT HERE!" And with that, Paul came running out.

"Uncle Dimka!" He yelled as he jumped into Dimitri's arms. Dimitri swung him around then set him back on his feet. "Aunt Roza!" I leaned down and hugged him and everyone came out of their hiding places. Paul looked up at Lissa. "Who's that?" He asked pointing at Lissa.

"Paul, don't be rude." Olena said as she was hugging her son.

"No, no, it's okay. Everyone, this is Lissa, my best friend." I said, taking her hand. "Lissa, this is Olena, Yeva, Sonya, Paul, Karolina, and Viktoria,"

"Nice to me you all." Lissa said shyly.

"It's our pleasure Lissa." Olena said. "Come here Roza. It's been too long." She grabbed me and hugged me tightly. Soon, I had the whole family swarming me.

"Roza, I'm so sorry for the way I left things with you. I missed you." Viktoria said as she hugged me. "You and Lissa are staying in my room." I nodded and smiled.

Nathan and Isobel walked up to us. "Dimitri, Rose, Lissa, thank you for coming. This is my Isobel." She was beautiful. She was in her forties, she had shoulder length dark brown hair with a few strands of gray here and there, big brown eyes and alabaster skin. You could tell Nathan adored her.

"Thank you for coming. It's nice to meet you all." She said.

"Rose, how is Adrian?" Nathan asked.

"He's good. He's been keeping busy, he hates the idea that I am here, but he's okay."

"Good, I've been worried about him."

We ate dinner, just talking and catching up. They were all curious about Lissa, Dimitri and my relationship, my relationship with Adrian, and about Katya. We talked until late into the night. Finally we all decided it was time to crash.

Viktoria, Lissa and I settled into our beds and said our goodnights. I was worried about going into this fight, but I knew I couldn't worry about it, I needed sleep. I drifted off into the blackness and soon my black sleep turned into a beautiful beach.

I walked along the beach barefooted, in a black bikini with a red gauzy material sarong tied at my waist. The beautiful blue waves crashed at my feet and the feeling of the soft sand at my toes. I stopped and looked around and saw Adrian leaning against a palm tree in the distance. He stood lazily with a pair of ivory gauzy material pants rolled up to the knees. He had no shirt or shoes on and his hair was it's usual messy style. His body looked amazing as I walked toward him.

"Little Dhampir." He said as he pushed away from the tree. "You look beautiful."

"Not so bad yourself." I said as I ran a hand down his chiseled chest.

"Let's sit and watch the water." He said as he pulled me to a spot that had a blanket and pillows. We lay down and just held each other. It was nice to just relax for a while.

"Babe, what's bothering you?" He said as he pulled his fingers through my hair.

"Just thinking about this whole situation. I'm nervous."

"If you have a bad feeling, come home, please." He said.

"It's not a bad feeling. We can do this, I know it, I just don't want to lose anyone."

"It will work out the way it's supposed to." He said as he rolled over and kissed me.

We kissed for what seemed like forever and suddenly the colors started to fade. "You're waking up babe, I love you." He said and then disappeared.

I woke up to Lissa crying. "Liss, what's wrong?"

"Oh nothing," she whispered wiping her eyes. "I was just thinking about my family. Being here with Dimitri's family is just a little overwhelming." She sniffed then lay back down on her pillow. "Promise me everything will be okay."

"It will be. One way or another, it will be okay. Go back to sleep Liss. We're all going to need it." I said. We lay down and drifted off for the rest of the night.

After breakfast we went out back to discuss the fight plan. "Our last stake out showed that the Strigoi are down to six. We have Eli, Dimitri, Rose and me. I want to bring in two more guardians from the school." Shawn paused, waiting for our approval. Dimitri nodded his head.

"I think we should have a fire user too. I have been talking to someone at the school that is willing to help us." He stated.

"Sounds good. Well, let's get him here. We leave at sun set. They are staying in a house at the edge of town. They get there just after the sun is down waiting for us to slip up." Shawn said.

Dimitri called his friend and he said he would be here soon. He arrived and Dimitri introduced him. "Rose, this is Damen Krennmore. He is a fire user and has offered to help us." Damen was a good-looking Moroi. He was tall and thin like all Moroi, had very dark, almost black, hair, it was short, but long enough it got into his eyes. His eyes were almost the color of the midnight sky, it took a little, but you could barely distinguish between the pupil and the color. He was dressed nicely, jeans and a polo shirt, and tennis shoes. He had a build like Adrian, so obviously he had been training for a while.

"Nice to meet you Damen." I said. Viktoria came running out of the house just then.

"Damen! What are you doing here?" She cried as she threw her arms around him.

"Oh, and he's also dating Vika." Dimitri said with a glare. He obviously wasn't pleased, but he didn't seem to _hate_ the idea.

Damen whispered something to her and she blushed. "I'm sorry. I'll be inside with everyone else." We all nodded and I had to stifle a laugh. It was cute watching Dimitri have that protective big brother look.

Dimitri walked over to me then looked over to Damen. "If it wasn't for Rose's relationship with Adrian I would have a _huge_ problem with you and my sister." He smiled a small smile.

"Understood dude. But I've told you before, I really do love her." Damen said.

"I know, just don't make me hit you."

We sat outside for a while going over strategy and procedure. Finally Lissa emerged. "I need to feed soon. And lunch is almost ready. Dimitri, Olena told me to tell you that if you and Rose want more black bread, you need to get in there and fix it yourself." With that she walked back in. We all got up and made our way to the kitchen.

"Olena, where are Nathan and Isobel?" I asked.

"They're upstairs. Nathan needs to feed as well so he is showering and getting ready. Damen, you should go feed as well, you'll need all the strength you can get." Olena said.

"Yeah, cause he's not sucking on my neck." Dimitri snorted as he was mixing the bread.

"Haha. I'll go. Vika and I need some time to talk though. She's worried about this. I want her to know I'll be okay." Damen said.

"Can I talk to her fist? Maybe I can help." I offered.

I went to Viktoria's room. "Hey, it's me." I said.

"Come on in Roza. What's up?"

"Well, I wanted to see how you were handling all this. I mean, your brother and boyfriend is going into a fight for someone you don't even know. It's got to be hard."

"Well, really you're doing this to protect Adrian right?" I nodded. "Well, Adrian is Dimka's charge and he is your fiancé, so you're going into this fight for someone in our family." I was astonished she said that. It must have shown on my face. "Roza, you are part of this family, we love you, and that means Adrian is part of this family as well. He is a part of you." I smiled. "Anyway, I'm just worried. Damen and I just got serious. It took me a long tome to trust, for obvious reasons, but I do now, and I love him. I'm just worried."

"Well, I want you to know he'll be protected. Dimitri and I will be there along with Shawn, Eli, and what's his name. He'll be fine." I said.

"Brian and Jason are the other two coming." Someone knocked at the door.

"Vika, Roza, Damen wants to know if it's safe." We heard Olena at the door.

"Yeah, send him in." Viktoria responded.

He came in and I stood up. "I'm going to go eat lunch. Be good." I gave them a sly grin.

I shut the door and went down to the kitchen. Brian and Jason had joined us and everyone was eating. We discussed our situation and decided we were going to rest and then leave at sunset. We wanted to keep the fight out of town. I told Lissa I needed her to send me all the darkness she could, I had a feeling it was going to be an ugly fight.

We made our way to our spots to sleep and we all fell asleep quickly. I was hoping Adrian would find me and I was not disappointed. "Little Dhampir." I turned around and he was walking towards me. We were in his grandmothers' garden.

"Hi babe." I said as he wrapped his arms around me.

"Are you going out tonight?" He asked.

"Yes, hopefully we will find her tonight and be able to deal with her." I knew it was still hard for him to hear we were going to kill her, so I tried to word it as tactfully as I could.

"Do what you need to do to be safe. That's all I care about." He leaned down and kissed me. "Now, rest before you go off to save the world. Christian and I are getting together later. Lissa just talked to him. I love you."

"I love you too Adrian." I leaned up on my tiptoes and gave him a deep passionate kiss. "Mmm, Little Dhampir. Goodnight." And with that, the dream disappeared and I slept for the next few hours in a black slumber.

* * *

We were all suited up and ready to go. All the Moroi had fed and Damen was nervous, but confident. We headed out to the edge of town where the Strigoi were staying. We approached a house that looked like it was an old farmhouse, and was far enough away from others that we wouldn't draw any attention. My stomach started to turn with the telltale nausea. "They're here." I said.

We all stalked through the night keeping eyes on everything. There was movement to my right then it was gone.

"There was movement to my left." Dimitri said quietly.

"I saw it to my right." I said.

"They're surrounding us." Eli sounded nervous.

"Damen, get ready. Keep watch." Dimitri commanded. He nodded and we continued to the house.

"Rosemarie Hathaway. I knew you'd come." We heard Daniella's voice but could not see her. The coldness in her voice sent chills down my spine, and not in a good way. "Where's my son? I am surprised he let you come with _him_." She was in a different position than before. There was venom dripping from the word him, even more sinister than the others.

"She's playing with us. Moving so we don't get a lock on her." Dimitri whispered. The nausea was so strong now; I thought I might actually throw up.

I saw movement again, this time up in front of us. "I'm going to start this." I said as I sprang forward. Two of them leapt at me. They were fast. I struck out with my leg and knocked one down. He was tall and thin, obviously a Moroi before he was turned. I was still crouched down as the Strigoi stood up and a flame shot over my head catching him on fire, he writhed in pain and I brought my stake up to his heart. Dimitri had taken the other one down. I saw that Eli and Jason were fighting two more each; Damen turned and threw a fireball at one on each side. That should have been all of them, but evidently Daniella had recruited more. One was coming out of the shadows at Shawn, and Brian was nearing the house. Eli had taken his out and was headed toward the house as well. Once all the Strigoi outside had been killed, we all made our way to the house. Daniella was not among the dead, but my nausea still churned within me.

As we surrounded the house I heard Brian let out a yelp. One had gotten him. Dimitri got to him and killed the Strigoi, but it was too late for Brian. "Jason, take Brian's body out of here. I won't let them feed off him." Dimitri said.

Damen was getting weak. I looked at Dimitri with a knowing look. "How many do you think?" I asked Dimitri.

"I don't know. We just killed seven. I wouldn't think there'd be many left. What are your senses telling you?"

"Maybe two or three." I said uncertainly.

"Okay, Eli, take Damen home. Make him rest. We can handle his." Dimitri ordered. He looked at me and I nodded.

We found the other two and dispatched of them. As soon as they were gone my nausea disappeared. "She's not here. She's gone." I said, breathing heavy and confused. _Where could she be?_ I thought.

"Maybe she fled." Shawn said.

"No, she wants me and Isobel to bad. She has a plan. Let's go check on the others." I said and we headed towards the Belikov house.

We got about one block from the house and three Strigoi jumped out, we were all matched with one. We got separated and all of a sudden something hit me in the back of the head and all I saw was black.

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**So, what do you think should happen next? I have an idea, but would love your input. Don't forget to review, I love to hear what you have to say. I will update soon.**


	35. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

**Here is the next chapter. This one has multiple POV's. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Richelle Mead owns all original VA

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I was in some sort of basement. As I looked at my surroundings, I saw dusty shelves, garden tools that looked ancient, lanterns, a chest freezer and a tattered old couch. One of the lanterns was lit giving off the only light, but with my dhampir vision, I could see quite well. I was secured to a wooden chair, my hands bound behind me. I could see Daniella watching me from the shadows.

"Nice to see you awake Rose." She said coldly. "Now, we need to decide what to do with you."

"What do you mean we? Who else is here?" I asked looking around again and seeing no one.

"Why, you and me, dear. You can help me decide. We have a few different options. One would be just to kill you, the second would be to awaken you, and third, we can have Nathan, Isobel and Adrian join us. What are your thoughts?" She had venom dripping off each word.

I thought about it. I definitely did not want to be awakened, death was not something I wanted either, and having my friends in danger was out of the question too. But Adrian has been training and Isobel had had training also, maybe a long time ago, but she still knew how to fight. But, could I really put Adrian in that kind of danger? "Let me think about it?" I said quietly.

"Fine, but you don't have much time." _Man, what was it with these Strigoi and time lines? _I wondered.

**Dimitri POV**

We made it back to the house and Lissa came running. "Where's Rose?" she asked frantically.

"I don't know. Daniella hit her and knocked her out and carried her off. I was able to follow her for a while, but I lost her in the trees. I need to get a hold of Adrian. He needs to get to her in her dreams." I was so worried about what could happen.

I called Adrian's phone and there was no answer. That was odd. I tried again every five minutes for an hour, leaving frantic messages every time, still there was nothing. I decided to call Abe. I told him about the attack and that we needed Adrian. Abe was going to find him. When Adrian finally called me, he sounded plastered.

"What Belikov?" He sounded angry and he has never referred to me as Belikov.

"I don't have time to deal with your attitude. Daniella has Rose and I need you to contact her in her dreams and find out where she is." I snapped at him.

"How could you let Daniella take Rose?" he yelled, and then there was silence.

"Adrian?"

"Well, you lost her, you find her." He slurred. _WHAT? _I thought. Something's not right here.

"Adrian, she's your fiancé, remember? What's wrong with you?" I yelled into the phone.

"I heard about the two of you. Over there together, feeling the love you once shared, getting all chummy. Well, I'm tapped out, I can't do this anymore." What was he talking about? He's crazy, that's what's wrong with him. But I didn't have time to think about that just now.

I could hear Abe in the background. I couldn't make out what he was saying but I hoped it was along the lines that Adrian was crazy to think such things. "Shut up Abe. You have no idea." Adrian snapped.

"Adrian, I don't know what's going on with you, but Rose loves you and she needs you. You're mother is going to kill her if you don't help." I still had no clue what was going on with him.

"Fine, I'll be there tonight." Adrian conceded.

"Hurry!" I said and hung up.

**Adrian POV- Earlier that day**

I spoke to Rose and for me it was mid afternoon. I spent some time in the gym with Eddie training and then returned to my apartment. When I got there, there was an envelope taped to my door. I took it and walked in the door. There was a letter from Abe.

_Adrian,_

_I had this in my office and thought you would like it. It's a family ring with the Arcos anagram on it. With you marrying my daughter, I thought you deserved it. Wear it with pride._

_Abe_

It was a simple silver band with a beautiful A etched into it. It was a privilege to have it on my finger. I was honored that Abe would give it to me. I tried to call him to thank him for it, but there was no answer. I left him a message, hoping he wouldn't think it was too impersonal for such a personal gift. I slipped the ring on my finger and went to the couch.

As I was lounging around, there was a knock at the door. I opened it up to the last person I wanted to see. Piper Drozdov. "Piper? What are you doing here?" I was a little annoyed.

"Just came to talk. I have something I think you have a right to know." She said. I stepped aside and let her in. Suddenly I was curious to know what she had to say.

"What's up?" I asked as I plopped down into my recliner.

"Well, this isn't easy to say. My cousin who lives in Baia called me today. She said she had seen Rose and Dimitri out together, and they…well…they looked _together_."

I gasped and just stared at her. I never thought this would happen. I headed over to the bar and grabbed my bottle of Vodka. I knew it wouldn't help, but the drinking would hopefully calm me down.

"I'm sorry Adrian, but I thought you should know." She said as she got up and went to the door.

**Piper POV**

Being an earth user had its benefits. I fount an old ring of my fathers that had an A on it, and decided to give it to Adrian. I decided to infuse it with my element and some compulsion to make him believe what I had to say. I was going to have Adrian for myself and break Rose at the same time.

**Abe POV**

As I was headed towards Adrian's I was very worried. It was odd that he wouldn't answer his phone. I knocked on the door and he slowly opened it. _Good God, he's trashed._ I thought. "Adrian, what's going on? You look like hell!" I said as I pushed my way in. Before he could answer I threw his phone at him. "Call Dimitri, Rose is in trouble." He just looked at me.

"What do I care? She doesn't love me!" _He's insane_, I thought.

"I don't have time for this. Call him. That's an order." I said.

"Fine." He said while dialing. "What Belikov…How could you let Daniella take her? You lost her, you find her…I heard about the two of you. Over there together, feeling the love you once shared, getting all chummy. Well, I'm tapped out. I can't do this anymore…"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He was delusional. "Adrian." I yelled. "What are you saying? You know better than that. Rose would never cheat on you. She loves you!" I was yelling.

"Shut up, Abe. You have no idea." He snapped at me, and then turned his attention back to the phone. "Fine, I'll be there tonight." Then the call was disconnected.

"Adrian? What's wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?" He was just looking at me. "TELL ME!" I growled.

He proceeded to tell me about his visit from Piper. I found it off that he would let her in after everything she tried, and I was surprised he would believe her. Something wasn't right. Then, he thanked me for the ring. "What ring? I didn't give you a ring." I said dumbfounded. Then I noticed his eyes for the first time. They were unfocused.

"This one." Adrian held his hand out so I could see it.

"Take it off, now. It's no ring of mine. Take it off." He slid it off and shook his head. He was still drunk, but you could see the clarity cross his eyes.

"What the hell was that?" he asked confused.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling Piper had something to do with it. You need to get to the jet and call Dimitri back. Go, now. We can't waste anymore time. I will take care of Piper Drozdov."

"Thanks Abe. I'm sorry." He said as he headed out the door,

"It's fine, just go and save my daughter,"

**Dimitri POV**

I still wasn't sure what was going on with Adrian. But at least he was coming. My phone rang. "Belikov." I said when I answered.

"Dimka? It's me. Um…sorry about earlier. I'm not entirely sure what happened. I'm boarding the plane. Anything on Rose yet?" Adrian was talking fast.

"No, nothing. We're trying to figure out where she could be. We're going out again at sunset."

"Okay, I'll be there soon. I am so sorry."

"It's fine Adrian. I'll be there to pick you up and we can discuss it then."

"Okay, bye." Adrian said.

"He's on his way." I said to everyone and then walked out the door.

**Rose POV**

It's been a while since I tried to see Adrian. I thought I'd try again. I willed myself to sleep and suddenly I was on my father's jet. "Adrian?'

"Hi babe. I'm on my way. I need to know as much as you can tell me about where you are." He said as his arms wrapped around me.

"I'm in some sort of basement or underground room. It looks like a storage shed. But Daniella's here. She has given me a choice. Either she kills me, turns me, or she wants Nathan, Isobel and you here with me." I wanted to get as much out as I could before I woke up.

"Pick the last one, that way we can fight. I've been training and Isobel and Dad are strong. We'll bring stakes." He said as he rubbed my arm.

"Adrian, I miss you. I love you." I said against his chest.

"I love you too Little Dhampir." We sat like that for a few minutes and very abruptly the dream ended and I was ripped into consciousness.

"Well, my dear. Pleasant dreams I hope." Daniella sneered.

"Of course." Was all I said.

"So, have you made your decision? Time is running out."

"Yes, bring Nathan and Isobel. Adrian's on his way." I said as I hung my head.

"Very well. You really are a coward. Putting other's lives at risk. But I'll get this over with sooner than I had hoped." I heard her walking up steps. I was betting on her being cocky.

**Dimitri POV**

There was a knock at the door. A human stood there with an envelope addressed to Nathan Ivashkov. "Thank you." I said and shut the door. "Nathan, this came for you." I handed him the note. He read it out loud.

_My dear Nathan,_

_So the time has come to deal with Isobel, Rose, Adrian, and you. Rose has chosen to die along side all of you. Please come to 54 Timbre Rd. It is an abandoned home. Bring only one guardian. If you bring anyone else, I will turn Rose and Isobel instead of just killing them. The time for you to lose everything as I had is upon you. We will be waiting._

_Daniella_

"I'm the guardian going." I said sternly.

"Yes, that is the best thing." Nathan agreed.

"I have to go get Adrian. Get ready, we will leave when we return." I said and walked out the door.

**Rose POV**

I didn't know what Daniella's plan was or how many Strigoi were in the house, but the nausea was strong, so I knew there were more than just her. I also knew that choosing the option I did I was putting my friends at risk, but it was the only choice we had. I knew Dimitri would be close, Adrian had been training, and Isobel had training as well. If I could get loose it would help. Suddenly, as if able to read my mind, Adrian appeared in front of me.

"Shh. I'm going to untie you. Cool thing about this power is that I can still do physical things, but I have to know where I am headed, and Daniella was foolish enough to give us an address." He whispered as he untied my hands. "Keep them back here until its time. Don't let her know." He kissed me quickly. "See you soon. I love you." Then he disappeared just as quickly as he appeared.

I held the ropes in my hands and hoped this would be over soon. Daniella approached and my nausea went up a little. She had someone with her. "Your friends will be here soon." She said. She made it sound like they were coming for a dinner party. Well in her mind, they were. I wanted to spit at her, but I didn't want her coming closer and realizing I was actually free.

I sat there in silence for what seemed like hours, but it wasn't that long, then I heard a knock at the door. "Open the door!" I just barely heard. I thought it was Dimitri's voice.

Dimitri, Nathan, Isobel and Adrian came down the stairs with two Strigoi in the front and three at their backs. That made seven of them we needed to take out. Dimitri scanned the room and then locked eyes with me. There was a look of fear in his eyes, but then I saw a smirk cross his face very quickly. I felt a breeze around me and noticed that there was a heavy dust cloud being blown around me. Nathan must be an air user and had used his powers to stir up the dust. I jumped up from my chair and Dimitri was at my side and gave me a stake. I was shocked to see fire coming from Adrian's hand, not a lot, but little fireballs were swirling around and causing the Strigoi to swat at their heads. He had set their hair on fire. Isobel was fighting one of them and found her mark with him. I went to the closest one, a woman who was obviously a dhampir before she was turned, and even with her hair aflame, she landed a blow to my shoulder. I recovered quickly and found an opening to her heart and felt my stake slide in as I watched her eyes go blank.

Dimitri had Daniella circled and she was giving him quite the fight. I saw Adrian fighting two small men, looked like they were human, and I headed towards him, taking another one out on the way. I took one of Adrian's attackers out, and he dispatched of the other.

Isobel had made it to Nathan, and they were fighting off the last Strigoi, while Dimitri and Daniella were circling one another. "Adrian, go help Dimitri, I will be right there." I yelled. Nathan was tired from using his power, and I could see that he couldn't continue. I came up behind the Strigoi and jumped on his back and stabbed my stake at his heart. It just barely missed, but he writhed in pain, pushing me to the floor. It gave Isobel the chance to get over him and stake him through the heart effectively. That left only Daniella.

We all made our way over to the battle between her and Dimitri. They were circling each other so fast; it was hard to distinguish between the two. "Adrian, when did you start using fire?" I said. "I'll tell you when we're done here." He responded. Dimitri and Daniella were at a standstill for a moment and I made my way into the fray. "Give it up, Daniella, you can't win this." Dimitri hissed. He lunged for her and she flipped so quick it was a blur. Adrian raised his hand and a fireball hit her in the back, causing her to scream out in pain. I ran and jumped, feet into her chest, and knocked her over. She was baring her teeth at me and I smiled. "Goodnight." Was all I said as I pushed the stake into her heart. "The nausea is gone. We're safe." It was finished.

We all stood up, and I saw a single tear escape down Adrian's face. "Rest well, mother." He said as we headed up the stairs.

When we emerged outside, my legs went weak and I collapsed. "Rose!" Adrian gasped as he reached for me before I hit the ground.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired and hungry." I said. "Now, explain about the fire."

"Well, I've been practicing with Christian. I have always been able to do a little with the other elements, but not much. Christian taught me how to do the fireballs. I can't really do much else. Water and earth are horribly hard, but I can make a small breeze, but nothing like my dad can do." He leaned down and kissed me. "Speaking of my dad, lets get him home. He needs to feed. And frankly, so do I." he got me up and we headed back to the Belikov house.

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Soon, we will be back at Court and back to the age decree. Please leave me your thoughts and reviews. I love reading them and hearing what you have to say. Thank you for reading. Don't forget to review. It only takes a few seconds.  
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	36. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

**I am nearing the end of the story. Sorry I haven't updated sooner, I have had horrible writers block. Plus, my daughter is starting school this month and there is a lot of things that we as parents need to do to get our children ready for kindergarten. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.**

**Richelle Mead owns all original VA

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We spent a few more days with the Belikov's, Adrian's dad and Isobel. It was nice just to visit and relax without the threat of an attack. Adrian had a rough time with the thought of his mother being gone, but he knew that she had chosen the Strigoi life and it was best for her to be reconnected to her soul and move on. Dimitri finally admitted to all of us that he and Katya were dating and he thought that he could see a future with her. His family was ecstatic. They also fell in love with Adrian and Lissa and couldn't wait until Adrian and I got married. They assured me that when we finally decided on a date, they would be there for the wedding. I was so blessed to have found them.

Finally the day came that we were heading home. I was actually anxious to get home. I knew we had a lot to do when we got back, but it would be nice to be back in my home. Lissa was ready to get back to Christian and Dimitri to Katya. We all said our goodbyes, tears were flowing, Nathan and Isobel promised to come back for the wedding, and we boarded the plane. Dimitri and Lissa sat together, and Adrian and I took two seats in the back. We really didn't have much time to be alone while we were in Baia, so it was nice to just sit there together.

I glanced up and noticed that Dimitri and Lissa had fallen asleep. I leaned over and stroked Adrian's face with my hand. "Adrian, I have missed you so much." I leaned up and kissed him gently. Soon the kiss became heated and I moaned into his lips.

**Rated M scene start**

"Little Dhampir, we should stop. That is unless you want to become a member of the mile high club." He chuckled.

"Well, I'm not sure about that, but I think we can do other things." With that I got up and grabbed a blanket and put it over top of us. The nice thing about these seats was that we could raise the armrest between us and get much closer. I turned towards him and kissed him fiercely. I ran my tongue across his bottom lip and he gladly opened his mouth and allowed me entrance. I climbed up onto his lap and straddled his legs. His hands explored all over my body while my fingers entangled themselves in his hair. We were grinding into each other and I felt the heat start to radiate between my legs. I needed him so badly. "Adrian, I want you so badly." I whispered into his ear and then gave it a little nip.

"Mmmm." Was all he could get out. He reached into my shirt and undid my bra. His fingers were doing wonders for my nipples, and I ran my hands down his chest. All of a sudden I felt a sudden heat from is hands transfer to my breast. "Oh my god, you have been practicing, haven't you." he just smiled as I realized that he was transferring heat from his hands to my nipples, and man, did it feel good.

"I have been practicing." He grinned against my lips. I ran my hand down his chest once more and rested it on the bulge that had formed in his pants. I slowly undid the button and zipper and pulled him out through his boxers. I started to rub my hand up and down his glorious length. As we kissed I felt a growl emanate from his throat. "Like that my love?" I asked in my most sultry voice.

"You have no idea." I felt him thrust his hips up toward mine. I looked over my shoulder and saw that our friends hadn't even stirred in their sleep. I stood up and he undid my pants and I let them fall to the floor. I pulled his pants down to his knees and lowered myself back onto him. We pulled the blanket back around us; he reached over to his coat and pulled out a condom from the pocket. After it was in place, I slowly moved as he entered me. We both moaned as the sensation filled our being. It seemed like it had been so long since I had made love to him, the feeling was so intense. I knew he felt the same way.

I stared into his emerald green eyes as I rocked back and forth on top of him. His hand continued to massage my breast and he lowered the other between us and rubbed my pulsating clit. I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to contain my pleasure quietly, but I could feel the orgasm building. He ran his lips down my throat, and I let out a small gasp. He immediately brought his lips back to mine as we both came together. "Oh my God." I said breathlessly as we held onto one another for a while.

"Well, I guess that means we are now members of the mile high club." He said and we both giggled. "Let's get cleaned up and rest for a while." I nodded and moved to my seat. We had to use the blanket to "clean up" so no one would be the wiser as to what we had just done. After we got ourselves settled, I lay my head against his shoulder.

"Adrian, I love you so much. I don't know what I would do without you."

"As I love you my Little Dhampir." With that we both drifted off to sleep in each others arms for the remainder of the flight.

* * *

Adrian had told me about the situation with Piper and I wanted to kill her. He then explained that Abe had her in jail awaiting a trial for illegal use of compulsion. She had been stripped of her Royal status and was waiting to find out what would happen to her. I just wanted to rip her limb from limb.

We had the trial and Abe actually gave her a choice. She could either spend 6 months in jail and then leave Court, or be banished and live amongst humans. I was surprised that she chose to live amongst humans. The day that she was leaving Court I happened to find her and I walked strait up to her. "If you ever come back here, or I ever see you again, I will have my revenge." She just sneered at me.

"Rose, you can't touch me." She hissed.

That's what she thought. I pulled my fist back and swung with all the anger I had. I made contact with her nose, breaking it and rendering her unconscious. "That should make your drive to the city more enjoyable." I told the guardian who was driving her. He just laughed. I walked away, quite pleased with myself.

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We had been back at Court for a few days, and it was time for the next school to arrive. We decided to split the novices the same way we had before. Janine on sparring, Dimitri on endurance and me on staking. This school was somewhat smaller than St. Vlad's so the groups weren't as big. But that didn't mean things were different. The novices did well with sparring and endurance, but as before, the staking was lacking. They didn't have the power or the knowledge that would be needed to take down Strigoi without loss of life. That was what we were trying to prove. It was as if the Queen herself was leading these trials from her grave and proving that the novices were not ready for this.

As we came to the finals, we did them the same as before. We chose four novices to be on display for the Royal Council. Three of them were out within a few minutes having to deal with my mother and Dimitri. The last was up against Eddie and me. It was a female novice, her name was Cassie. Cassie did quite well actually. She made it through over half of the course. I came around a corner and caught her off guard, grabbed her Moroi by the shoulder, but she recovered quickly. She got me in the head with a roundhouse kick that actually took me by surprise. Those were hard kicks to learn and master. The kick caused me to lose my grip on the Moroi, and she took her and pushed her behind protectively. We circled and fought, but I finally got an opening and managed to get Cassie into a headlock and "killed" her. That was it.

Abe made the same speech he had last time. "Thank you for being here and no matter what you did a great job. The Council and myself will be seeing a few more schools and then we will pass our decision down. Please keep up the good work and keep practicing. Thank you again, and good luck."

We went through a few more months of the trials with the same results every time. Novices that were well trained in endurance and sparring, but severely lacking in stake training. I hoped above all hope that the council would see that it would be a phenomenal mistake to put these novices out into the world.

The day finally came for the verdict and we all made our way into the Royal Hall for the announcement. Lissa was at her place on the council and I was sitting behind my father. "Ladies and Gentlemen." My father said as he rose from his seat. "We have come here today to hear the final decision on the age decree. It took us a while to come to this decision and I am sure some of you will be disappointed, but I assure you, it is for the best of the Moroi/Dhampir race. Upon seeing the trials of the sixteen year old novices, we had decided that it is in the best interest of all those involved to give them back their extra two years of training." There was an upheaval coming from the people listening. "We have also decided, that if the Moroi voluntarily want to learn offensive magic to stand along side the Dhampir's against the Strigoi, there will be classes available at the academies as well as colleges, and here at Court. In working together, we will be able to flourish as a race once more. Thank you very much for coming, and I hope that you will all see that this is what is best for us all." That was it. Abe stepped down, and we all dispersed to our friends and family. The murmuring that had gone on in the audience was still going on, but to all of our amazement there was no yelling or screaming or fighting. Some people were happy; others were just astonished. But we had gotten what we wanted. Life was as it should be again.

"Well, this calls for a celebration. Let's do something fun. Dancing or hot springs?" Adrian suggested.

"Is that all you think about Adrian? Drinking and partying?" Christian asked with a grin.

"Of course, especially when we are celebrating something like this." Adrian responded.

We decided to go dancing and then go to the hot springs to end the night. We all wanted to do both.

"Well, let's go get ready to go out and meet in the lobby at, what, nine?" I said?

"Yeah, that sounds great." Lissa said. We all walked back to the apartments and retreated to our own apartments.

"So," Adrian said as we got to the apartment. "Is it time to start planning the wedding now?" He said with a smile.

"I think it is." I said as I closed the distance and kissed him. I couldn't wait to be his wife and start our life as husband and wife. We made our way to the bedroom; it had been so long since we had made love with all the training and how tired we had been over the last few months. He showed me how much he loved me and appreciated me and I returned to favor. It was so good to do this with no threats hanging over our heads any longer.

We spent the night dancing, laughing with our friends, and then went to the hot springs to enjoy some relaxation with our friends. While we were in the water, Lissa asked the question first. "So, Rose, when do we get to start planning a wedding?"

I looked at her and laughed. "Right now. First though I want to ask a few a question. Lissa, will you be my maid of honor?" She looked at me with tears in her eyes. Did she honestly think I wouldn't ask her?

"Of course. Why would you even have to ask?" she leaned over to me and hugged me.

"Now, Mia, and Katya, would you like to be my bridesmaids? I am going to ask Jill also, but I have you two here now." I asked.

"Of course." They both said.

"Well, we have so much to plan. First we need to settle on a date, then colors, then the dresses, and of course your dress." Lissa just kept going on and on about what all we needed to do. I knew she would take the reigns on this. I looked over to Adrian, once we started talking about the wedding, the guys went off to play pool which was in another room. I could see him through the window looking at me and he just smiled his sweet smile. I couldn't believe I was going to be Mrs. Adrian Ivashkov soon.

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**The next chapter will be the planning of the wedding and probably the wedding itself. It will also most likely be the last chapter to this story. I am in the process of trying to come up with a new story. **

**Please review and let me know what you think. Thank you all so much for reading.**


	37. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

**I have gotten some questions concerning Adrian and Rose getting married and how the Arcos name will be carried on. I think that when they have children the children will be given the Arcos name just like if and when Christian and Lissa have children, their children will carry the Dragomir name. I hope this answers your questions. **

**This is the last chapter, so I hope you enjoy the wedding. It starts the day of the wedding.**

**Richelle Mead owns all original VA.

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I woke up to Lissa's singsong voice. "Wake up sleeping beauty. Today is your wedding day!" She jumped on the bed.

"Five more minutes." I said groggily. I looked around, Mia, Jill, and Katya were all there waiting for me to rise. We had had a sleepover so we were all together.

"No, now, we have to be at the spa in thirty minutes." Lissa said throwing my t-shirt and jeans at me. She had bought me a white shirt the words "Bride-to-be" on it in black. Her's said "Maid of Honor" and Mia, Jill and Katya's said "Bridesmaids". Lissa was such a goof sometimes. I got up and showered and we all headed to the spa.

Lissa had arranged for full body massages and manicures for all of us. It was the most relaxing thing I had in a long time. My father had paid for everything, the perks of being the Kings' daughter.

After about two hours of being pampered we made our way back to Lissa's apartment where our dresses were. Lissa's was a floor length, ivory organza, strapless a-line with a coral colored silk tie around the waist. Mia and Katya's dress were the same as Lissa's but the dresses were coral with an ivory tie. Jill's was short, coming down to her knees, in the coral with ivory. I wanted something younger for her, but she loved the style of dress so we just made hers shorter.

My dress was an ivory halter-top, yes, I love halter-tops, that tied at the neck and cascaded down my back, it had a crystal-encrusted emblem between my breasts and at the straps. (picture on my profile) It flowed beautifully to the floor with a small train at the back. I loved it. It fit my body well and showed off my curves.

My flowers were orange and ivory and there were plenty of flowers all over the place. Of course we were getting married in the Royal Hall. My father insisted. We were waiting in the back room, where Lissa worked on my hair and makeup. My makeup was light and subtle, and my hair was done in an up do with ringlets hanging down.

Finally we heard the music start and knew it was just about time. We made our way to the waiting area. I couldn't wait to see Adrian standing at the end of the aisle. After everything we had been through we finally made it to this day.

The doors opened and my friends walked in. My father took my arm and we made our way down the aisle. The minute I could see Adrian my attention was on nothing else but him. Everything in the room disappeared and I wanted to sprint down the aisle towards him. He had an ivory tuxedo with coral vest and tie. He looked like a dream. Christian was his best man with Dimitri, Eddie and Ambrose. They all wore black tuxedos with coral vest and ties.

Adrian and I joined hands. The reverend spoke up. "The bride and groom have written their own vows. Rosemarie?"

I looked up into Adrian's green eyes. "Adrian, I have loved you for a long time. You are someone I could never live without. You are there when I need you, and sometimes, even when I don't." There was a little giggle throughout our guests. "I promise to love you forever and even after. I will hold your hand and help you through all life's trials. I will forever be your guiding light as you will be mine. I love you."

"Adrian?" The reverend asked.

"Rose, Little Dhampir. I love you. You are a dream within a dream. You have shown me what true love is, and shown me that I am worthy of it. I will forever try to show you how much love is in my heart for you. My life will never be the same. I promise to be faithful to only you, to love you each and every day of our lives. You will never have to question my love, for I will tell you every day that I love only you. I love you."

We both had tears streaming down our cheeks, but we also had the biggest smiles ever. The reverend said, "You may kiss the bride." And Adrian dipped me and gave me the softest most sensual kiss ever. We stood up and were announced. "May I introduce to you, Lord Adrian and Princess Rosemarie Arcos-Ivashkov."

We made our way down the aisle and did the whole receiving line thing. Kisses and hugs, and all sorts of mushy stuff, then we finally made it to the reception. We ate a grand dinner and then danced the night away. Finally it was time to say goodnight and retreat for the honeymoon. We weren't going far, just to the Royal Suite for the night, and then tomorrow we would be off to Tahiti.

Once we got to the suite, we walked in and Adrian took me into his arms. "Hello Mrs. Ivashkov." And he kissed me gently.

I smiled. "Can you believe we are finally married? We are going to be so happy." He kissed me gently and laid me on the bed. The kiss became more heady and hungry and we had a night filled with bliss and unbelievable love. I knew my life was going to perfect now.

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**I know this is short, but I didn't really know how to go into a lot of detail. I hope you enjoyed my story. I have a few ideas for new stories, so I hope you will follow on to those. One will be a love story, and the other will be an action/adventure. Thank you for all your support.**


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